Who is in the Florida Gators' Bracket of the Players Era Tournament?

The Florida Gators headline the Players Era Eight bracket.

The Florida Gators headline the Players Era Eight bracket. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- For the second straight season, the Florida Gators will play in Las Vegas, this time as part of the two-bracket Players Era Tournament.

Florida, a strong contender to be the preseason No. 1 team in the country, headlines the Players Era Eight bracket, which will be played the week of Nov. 16. Joining the Gators are Auburn, Houston, Kansas, Notre Dame, Rutgers, UNLV and West Virginia. The tournament also comes with a twist as NIL prize money will be rewarded to the winner.

Additionally, each school will received money in NIL opportunities. According to CBS Sports, the average payout for the 24 participants will be slightly over $1 million, with reports that Kansas will be paid the most.

Houston, who Florida beat in the 2025 National Championship Game, will be in the Gators' bracket of the Players Era Tournament. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

The Players Era Tournament began as an eight-team tournament in 2024 before moving to 18 teams last year. Oregon won the first tournament before Michigan took home the title last season.

Tipoff times and specific matchups will be released at a later date, with ESPN owning the broadcast rights.

Gators Looking for Balance in Non-Conference Schedule

In his postseason media available, Florida head coach Todd Golden said the Gators, who played a relatively easy non-conference schedule in 2024-25 before a brutal stretch last year, are looking for balance in this year's non-conference slate.

During the Gators' national-title season, Florida went 13-0 in non-conference play, playing zero ranked opponents but going 4-0 against Power Four opponents. Last year, the Gators struggled to a 9-4 non-conference record, which included wins over Florida State, Miami and Providence, but close losses to multiple title contenders in Arizona, Duke and UConn.

Golden said that Florida will "play some marquee matchups" outside of its trip to Las Vegas.

"So we want to play some good games, for sure," Golden said. "We're playing in Players Era, so that 3-4 really good games right there. And we'll play a couple more really tough opponents in preparation (for SEC play) to your point. It did not feel good being 5-4, but it definitely benefited us and allowed us to be prepared to win the league. So, somewhere in between."

Florida fell to Duke in last year's ACC/SEC Challenge. | Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Golden also said that the team is working to find the right non-conference opponents to play.

The rising fifth-year head coach mentioned Michigan, who Golden said wants "really good opponents" after winning a national title this past season, and Miami, who Golden said has a good roster and is in a position to be competitive against title contenders, as two possible opponents.

"There's a lot of teams that don't (want to play Florida," he said. "So we gotta find the right programs and the right teams to play that make sense for us, that provide a good competitive game and will help us prepare for SEC play."

As it stands, Florida's only non-conference games outside of the Players Era Tournament are a road game at rival Florida State and a reported game against rival Miami, which is expected in mid-November, according to 247 Sports' Graham Hall. The Gators will also participate in the ACC/SEC, with its opponent to be announced at a later date.

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