October is the heart of the SEC football schedule, and it’s arguably the best sports month, period.

Think about it — college football is in the meat of its schedule, college basketball teams are starting to practice, the MLB Playoffs are starting and NBA teams are holding preseason games. Enjoy it, because it won’t last long!

For teams like Florida and LSU, they are just hitting the brutal stretch run that will be the last two months of the season. In fact, those two top 10 ranked foes face one another Saturday in Tiger Stadium. College GameDay will be in attendance, too.

For the Gators specifically, they face No. 5 LSU, South Carolina, No. 3 Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Florida State the rest of the way. Including Auburn who the Gators beat Saturday, Florida had to play the No. 7, No. 5 and No. 3 ranked teams in four straight games. That’s brutal, but UF is off to a big start with the win over Gus Malzahn and the Tigers.

ESPN’s Football Power Index ranked the remaining toughest schedules in college football, and the Gators are No. 1.

The FPI is explained as the following on its website:

The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.

Below are the five toughest remaining schedules in the SEC, according to the FPI:

  • 1. Florida Gators: (at No. 5 LSU, at South Carolina, vs. No. 3 Georgia, vs Vanderbilt, at Mizzou, vs. FSU)
  • 2. LSU Tigers: (vs. No. 7 Florida, at Miss State, vs. No. 12 Auburn, at No. 1 Alabama, at Ole Miss, vs. Arkansas, vs. Texas A&M)
  • 4. Ole Miss Rebels: (at Mizzou, vs. No. 24 Texas A&M, at No. 12 Auburn, vs. New Mexico State, vs. No. 5 LSU, at Miss State)
  • 10. Arkansas Razorbacks: (at Kentucky, vs. No. 12 Auburn, at No. 1 Alabama, vs. Miss State, vs. WKU, at No. 5 LSU, vs. Mizzou)
  • 13. South Carolina Gamecocks: (at No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 7 Florida, at Tennessee, vs. Vanderbilt, vs. App State, at No. 24 TAMU, vs. No. 2 Clemson)