Florida-Miami Season Opener Moved to Aug. 24
The season opener between the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes in Orlando has been changed to Aug. 24, Florida announced in a statement. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
The game was originally scheduled for Aug. 31 before ESPN approached both schools about moving the contest up by a week. The move was approved by the NCAA on Thursday.
"Moving the Camping World Kickoff to Aug. 24 is a unique and rare opportunity that showcases college football, both storied programs, and the state of Florida," Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. "By mid-August the public is hungry for college football, and America is now going to be able to watch the Gators and Hurricanes in a marquee game a week earlier than usual. I'd anticipate the exposure for the sport of college football, and both schools, to be immense."
The new Aug. 24 date will be the earliest start to the season for either program. The only other FBS game scheduled for that day, which is popularly known as Week Zero, is Arizona at Hawaii.
This season's matchup will pit new Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz against second-year Gators coach Dan Mullen. The two schools last met on Sept. 7, 2013, when Miami won 21–16.
Last season, the Gators went 10–3 with a win over Michigan in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, while the Hurricanes ended the year at 7–6 with a loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.
