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ACC Changes Date to Gators' 2026 Road Game at Florida State

Florida was set to conclude the 2026 regular season at Florida State on Nov. 28. Now, the Gators will play the Seminoles at a different date.
Cam Parker|
The Florida Gators defeated Florida State, 31-11, the last time the two teams met in Tallahassee.
The Florida Gators defeated Florida State, 31-11, the last time the two teams met in Tallahassee. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Florida Gators

The ACC on Monday released its schedules for all of its league teams, which includes an update to the Florida Gators' 2026 schedule. Originally scheduled to close the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Florida State, the Gators will now close the regular season a day earlier on Friday, Nov. 27.

A start time and television designation will be announced by the ACC at a later date.

The change will mark Florida's first regular season game played on a Friday since the Gators played Florida State on Nov. 25 to conclude the 2022 regular season. That game saw Florida end the regular season with a 45-38 loss to the Seminoles in Billy Napier's first season leading the program.

Since that game, Florida has won two of the last three games against the Seminoles, including a 31-11 win in Tallahassee in 2024 and a 40-21 win in Gainesville to end the 2025 season.

Now, the Gators turn its attention to the 2026 season, its first under new head coach Jon Sumrall. The schedule sees a shift in scheduling as the SEC moves from eight games to nine while introducing a rotating schedule of opponents and three permanent opponents for the next four years.

As a result, Florida will not play traditional rivals LSU and Tennessee until 2027, marking the first time the Gators do not play the Volunteers since 1989, first time they do not play the Tigers since 1970 and the first time they do not play either team since 1968.

Additionally, the Gators will get to play non-traditional foes in Auburn for the first time since 2019, South Carolina for the first time since 2023, Vanderbilt for the first time since 2023 and Oklahoma for the first time since the Sooners joined the league. The Gators last played the Sooners to end the 2020 season in the Cotton Bowl.

Additionally, Florida is set to play Georgia in Atlanta for the first of two-straight non-Jacksonville matchups as a result of impending stadium renovations to EverBank Stadium. The series moves to Tampa in 2027 before returning to Jacksonville in 2028.

Florida's full 2026 schedule can be found below.

Florida Gators' 2026 Schedule

  • Sept. 5: FAU (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Sept. 12: Campbell (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Sept. 19: @ Auburn (Auburn, Ala.)
  • Sept. 26: Ole Miss (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Oct. 3: @ Missouri (Columbia, Mo.)
  • Oct. 10: South Carolina (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Oct. 17: @ Texas (Austin, Tx.)
  • Oct. 31: vs. Georgia (Atlanta)
  • Nov. 7: Oklahoma (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Nov. 14: @ Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.)
  • Nov. 21: Vanderbilt (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • Nov. 27: @ Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)

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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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