Florida Football Schedule 2026: Full Gators Slate, Dates, and Key Games

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Jon Sumrall’s first Florida schedule is a genuine gauntlet. The Gators open with two home non-conference games, then run into Auburn, Ole Miss, and Missouri in three of the next four weeks. Georgia moves to Atlanta on Halloween, Oklahoma visits The Swamp in November, and the year ends on a Friday afternoon in Tallahassee.

Two scheduling details are widely reported wrong elsewhere: the Georgia game is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, not Jacksonville, and the Florida State finale is Friday, Nov 27 — not Saturday. Both are confirmed on Florida’s official schedule.

2026 Team Schedule
Florida Football Schedule
SEC · Ben Hill Griffin Stadium · Jon Sumrall (1st year)
6
Home Games
9
SEC Games
Sept 5
Opener vs FAU
Oct 31
Circle It: Georgia
Date Opponent Time (ET) / Window Result
Sat, Sept 5 vs Florida Atlantic 7:45 PM —
Sat, Sept 12 vs Campbell 5:30 PM —
Sat, Sept 19 at Auburn 7:00 PM —
Sat, Sept 26 vs Ole Miss Flex (3:30-4:30 or 6-8) —
Sat, Oct 3 at Missouri Flex (3:30-4:30 or 6-8) —
Sat, Oct 10 vs South Carolina Early (12-1 PM) —
Sat, Oct 17 at Texas Early (12-1 PM) —
Sat, Oct 24 Bye Week — —
Sat, Oct 31 vs Georgia (Atlanta, neutral site) 3:30 PM —
Sat, Nov 7 vs Oklahoma Flex (3:30-4:30 or 6-8) —
Sat, Nov 14 at Kentucky Night (6-8 PM) —
Sat, Nov 21 vs Vanderbilt Early (12-1 PM) —
Fri, Nov 27 at Florida State 3:30 PM —
SEC time windows: Early = 12-1 PM, Afternoon = 3:30-4:30 PM, Night = 6-8 PM, Flex = either afternoon or night. Exact times and networks lock 6-12 days out.

Games That Will Decide Florida’s Season

Sept 26 vs Ole Miss A top-10 Rebels team in The Swamp, one week after the Auburn road trip. Sumrall’s first real home test and the earliest chance for a signature win.
Oct 17 at Texas Florida beat Texas 29-21 in 2025 for the first win over the Longhorns in program history. The rematch is in Austin against a top-five team.
Oct 31 vs Georgia The rivalry moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta while EverBank Stadium is renovated. It heads to Tampa in 2027 and back to Jacksonville in 2028.
Nov 27 at Florida State A Friday afternoon finale in Tallahassee. Florida won last year’s meeting 40-21 and gets the rivalry on the road this time.
The Sumrall Era Opens
Jon Sumrall takes over in Gainesville, with Aaron Philo named QB1 out of fall camp and the competition still open behind him.
Georgia Leaves Jacksonville
The 2026 game is in Atlanta, 2027 goes to Tampa, and the series returns to Jacksonville in 2028 once the EverBank renovation is finished.
A $1.2 Million Opener
Florida is paying FAU roughly $1.2 million for the Sept 5 game — the first meeting between the schools since 2021.

How the Schedule Sets Up

Two home tune-ups give Sumrall a soft landing, and then it comes fast: at Auburn, Ole Miss at home, at Missouri. Survive that and October is still unforgiving, with South Carolina, a trip to Austin, and Georgia in Atlanta after the bye. November is where the schedule finally gives something back — Oklahoma at home is difficult, but Kentucky and Vanderbilt are winnable, and the year closes on the road against a Florida State team the Gators beat comfortably last November. Nine SEC games with no easy stretch means the bowl math matters early; for the postseason picture, here’s how the College Football Playoff works under the 12-team format. The nine-game conference slate is part of the NCAA FBS move toward deeper league scheduling.

The Bottom Line

Six home games, Ole Miss and Oklahoma in The Swamp, Georgia in Atlanta on Halloween, and a Friday finale in Tallahassee — Jon Sumrall inherits one of the SEC’s harder first-year schedules. Bookmark this page; times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.