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Gators' 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge Opponent Revealed

The Florida Gators will look for revenge in next season's ACC/SEC Challenge in Gainesville.
Cam Parker|
The Florida Gators will look for revenge in next season's ACC/SEC Challenge in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators will look for revenge in next season's ACC/SEC Challenge in Gainesville. | Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators' 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge opponent has been reported, and it will be a matchup of bluebloods.

More specifically, a re-matchup of bluebloods.

According to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, Florida will play host to Duke in a rematch of last year's ACC/SEC Challenge in Durham, N.C., a 67-66 win for the Blue Devils. This year's matchup, the first in Gainesville since 1937 and first in the state of Florida since 1973, will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 1, according to Rothstein.

Next season's matchup between Florida and Duke will be the 18th meeting all-time between the two programs, with the Blue Devils holding a 14-3 advantage. Duke has won the last three matchups in the series (2016, 2017, 2025), with Florida's last win coming in 2000 in the Sweet 16.

Last year, Florida fell by one point to Duke after Duke's Isaiah Evans hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left and Florida's Boogie Fland turned the ball over on the ensuing possession. The loss was the third of four non-conference losses through the Gators' first nine games of the season in what was one of the toughest non-conference slates in the country.

Fifth-year head coach Todd Golden said this offseason that last year's difficulties are helping Florida find a balance between having competitive matchups but not overdoing it in creating next season's non-conference schedule.

Florida is trying to find a balance between its relatively easy slate in 2024, which led to a 13-0 start to the season, and last year's slate, which included matchups against Arizona, UConn and the Blue Devils.

He also said that there are teams that do not want to play them, but that the Gators are not having issues finding opponents. Already on the schedule is a season-opening matchup against rival Miami in Tampa on Nov. 2, a guaranteed matchup against Notre Dame and two more matchups in the Players Era Eight Tournament in Las Vegas (Nov. 17-19).

In addition to Florida and Notre Dame, Houston, Rutgers, Kansas, UNLV, West Virginia and Auburn are in the tournament. The Gators are also expected to face rival Florida State in Tallahassee for its yearly meet-up against the Seminoles.

"There's a lot of teams that don't (want to play Florida)," Golden 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."

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Cam Parker
CAM PARKER

Cam Parker is a reporter covering the Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers and Clemson Tigers with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester, and dog, Rufus.

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