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Florida Football 2026 Schedule: Full Breakdown and Season Outlook
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- Florida Football 2026 Schedule: Full Breakdown and Season Outlook
Will Florida ever get an easy schedule? The 2026 version is at least a wee bit better for new head coach Jon Sumrall.
The Gators
lost 13 games over the last two seasons, but Kentucky last year was the only one that was truly unacceptable.
Eight of the defeats were to teams that finished with ten wins or more - but there was one very, very big win over Texas that changed the College Football Playoff race.
Here's our breakdown of this year's Florida schedule.
The Good, the Bad, and Who Florida Misses in 2026
New Gator head football coach Jon Sumrall fires up the crowd during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Auburn won 76-67 © Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Good
Six of the games are against teams that didn't go to a bowl game, and Florida should get better faster than most of them.
Unlike last year, three of the first four games are at home, Florida only leaves the state once in November, and ...
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The Bad
There's not a lot to get fired up about.
It's not as bad as last year's slate - there's no Miami or South Florida - but it's not getting much better with the nine-game SEC run.
There are six games away from home, dealing with Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Georgia - granted, two home games and, technically, a neutral-site battle - won't be a breeze, and beating Auburn and Missouri early is a must. However ...
What SEC Teams Florida Will Miss
Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M.
Really? Florida doesn't play Tennessee? That doesn't seem right, but okay - that's a plus. There's never any complaining about missing Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M - all three will be massive this year.
It would've been nice to get Arkansas and Mississippi State, though.
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Florida's Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026
Best Case: The Gators win on the road again
Florida played six games away from Gainesville last season, and they lost all six, making it nine losses in the last ten.
This year, it starts the SEC season off with a win at Auburn for the first 3-0 start since 2019. Rolling, it follows it up with a win over Ole Miss, takes out Missouri in Columbia, and becomes a national thing with a win over South Carolina for a stunning 6-0 start.
There are a few losses over the rough second half of the season, but it's able to pull off one win over Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma to be in the mix for a College Football Playoff spot late.
Worst Case: Nah ... the road losses continue
The team is better, but it loses at Auburn, loses at Missouri, and struggles in a loss at Kentucky in mid-November.
With whiffs at Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma before the loss at Kentucky, it's another losing season - and it's not close - with a loss at Florida State making it a true rebuilding year.
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Florida Football 2026 Schedule
Sept 5 Florida Atlantic
Sept 12 Campbell
Sept 19 at Auburn
Sept 26 Ole Miss
Oct 3 at Missouri
Oct 10 South Carolina
Oct 17 at Texas
Oct 24 OPEN DATE
Oct 31 Georgia (in Atlanta
)
Nov 7 Oklahoma
Nov 14 at Kentucky
Nov 21 Vanderbilt
Nov 28 at Florida State
Games That Will Decide Florida's Season
1. at Auburn, Sept. 19
It's the SEC opener, it's on the road, and it's new head coach vs new head coach. It's also one of those games that will show right away where both programs are at. It's as cliché as it gets, but this is as much of a tone-setter as it gets.
2. Georgia (in Atlanta), Oct. 31
The Gators haven't beaten Georgia in 2020 and have lost eight of the last nine Cocktail Parties. This is coming off a trip to Texas, a week off, and with Oklahoma to follow.
3. at Florida State, Nov. 28
It's the last game of the regular season, and considering how nasty the schedule is, it's possible for the Gators to be better and still need this to get bowling. They've won the last two.
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Related: Georgia 2026 Football Schedule Breakdown and Analysis
This story was originally published by College Football News on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
