.png)
_edited_edited.png)
The 2024 Florida Gators have the hardest schedule this upcoming season. The Gators will play 11 of its 12 games against FBS opponents and nine of them are have the potential to be ranked once the two teams face off. On top of that, the Gators will also battle for the Sunshine State in matchups against Florida State, Miami (FL) and the Central Florida, three teams that can be an issue for the the Gators.
With the hardest schedule in all of college football, which are the best games fans will want to see come this fall? (Georgia won't be on this list as they will likely beat everyone by 40.)
No. 4: UCF at Florida, Oct. 5
The Gators will host the Knights in the Swamp in early October for the first time since 2006. Back then, the Gators crushed UCF 42-0. However, this matchup will not be the same. UCF is now in the Big 12 Conference and got a win in a bowl game against the Gators in 2021 in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Nearly three years later, any Gator players from that team will want make up from that embarrassing loss to the Knights. With the game being held in Gainesville, the Gators just might be able to complete their revenge and get one of their few wins this year against the Knights.
No. 3: Florida at Texas, Nov. 9
Nearly a month later, Florida heads to the state of Texas where they will face the Longhorns in Austin. Once again, due to the conference realignment, the Longhorns have now joined the Southeastern Conference. The Longhorns will bring another strong set of athletic traditions throughout all of their sports and will fit right in with the SEC as will Oklahoma, the other team that will be joining at the same time as Texas.
Texas and Florida have only played three times in the history of college football, with the most recent coming in 1940. Texas has two wins and the third matchup was a tie, meaning the Gators have never beaten the Longhorns. In fact, the Gators have only scored 7 points in the history of the series, being shut out in the last two games against Texas. With the fourth matchup coming this year, Gators' head coach Billy Napier will hope to do better than history reflects.
No. 2: LSU at Florida, Nov. 16
Despite the conference realignment, LSU and Florida will still face each other in 2024 and keep the rivalry going for at least one more year. The Tigers have gotten the better of the Gators in recent years. However, the Gators will hope to fix that with DJ Lagway as the future after Graham Mertz.
LSU is in a very different place than the Gators. Head coach Brian Kelly nearly got his team into the College Football Playoff last season and with the expanded playoff this season, they almost certainly will be in. This game will be close, but expect more of the same this season.
No. 1: Florida at FSU, Nov. 30
One of the biggest rivalries in all of college football is Florida's top-rated game yearly. Even if one team is absolutely horrible, the game is often quite competitive. Even last year when the Gators finished the year 5-7 and the Seminoles went 13-1, the game went down to the wire as FSU was never quite able to pull away. They won the game 24-15 in Gainesville.
Even if Gators have another off-year, this game will be competitive and has a chance for an upset if everything goes right for the Gators in Tallahassee.
Honorable Mentions
A couple of honorable mentions that didn't make the list above: The "World Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"— or better known as the Florida-Georgia or Georgia-Florida game depending on what state the person is from—is a massive rivalry. However, the Bulldogs not only dominate that series, but all of college football in the last three or four years. In time, things will revert back to a competitive series. However, that is not now.
Another one is the opening matchup against the Miami Hurricanes. While there is a rivalry between the Hurricanes and the Gators, the Gators have managed to win most of the games in recent years. While a few social media posts have sparked up some arguments prior to this matchup between Mertz and a few of the Hurricanes, it would be surprising if it led to anything boiled over past this season.
With the season only a month away, teams are preparing for their first opponent already. Like Mertz said during SEC Media Days, " We are focusing on Miami right now. We are taking it one week at a time," he said. This is the same philosophy that Napier has. Take one opponent at a time, one week at a time.
.png)
.png)
Comments