Ranking Florida football's 2026 schedule against fellow SEC schools
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The SEC has been among the most competitive leagues in college football for a few decades now, and with the expansion to a nine-game intraconference schedule, things will only get harder for member schools in 2026.
During the recently ended Billy Napier era — particularly the final two seasons — the Florida Gators have faced one of the toughest slates of matchups in the nation. While the difficulty level appears to be dialed back a notch this coming fall, the Orange and Blue still have a rough road ahead in comparison to many of its conference peers.
The Sporting News' Bill Blender recently published his ranking of SEC football schedules for 2026 from hardest to easiest by sorting out the schedules for each team based on three factors: ranked opponents, home vs. road games and totals from hardest to easiest.
According to the publication's calculations, the Gators landed at No. 4 behind the Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners and Arkansas Razorbacks, respectively.
The Gators have four of The Sporting News' top 25 teams on their schedule this season: at No. 8 Ole Miss; at No. 4 Texas; vs. No. 3 Georgia; vs. No. 9 Oklahoma. It is also worth noting that Sumrall and Co., along with seven other schools, have an extra road game as part of the SEC's move to a nine-game schedule this season, which certainly adds a wrinkle to their strength of schedule.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Vanderbilt Commodores and Georgia Bulldogs, respectively, have the easiest schedules among SEC teams.
SEC 2026 football schedule rankings
| RANK | SCHOOL | TOTAL | RANKED OPPONENTS |
| 1 | Missouri | 93 | vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, at No. 8 Ole Miss, vs. No. 4 Texas, at No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 9 Oklahoma |
| 2(t) | Oklahoma | 90 | at No. 14 Michigan, at No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 14 LSU |
| 2(t) | Arkansas | 90 | at No. 16 Utah, vs. No. 3 Georgia, at No. 11 Texas A&M, at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 14 LSU |
| 4 | Florida | 84 | at No. 8 Ole Miss, at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 9 Oklahoma |
| 5 | Ole Miss | 82 | vs. No. 18 Louisville, vs. No. 14 LSU, at No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 3 Georgia, at No. 9 Oklahoma |
| 6 | Mississippi State | 79 | vs. No. 12 Alabama, at No. 14 LSU, vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 4 Texas, at No. 8 Ole Miss |
| 7 | Texas | 78 | vs. No. 2 Ohio State, vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, at No. 14 LSU, at No. 11 Texas A&M |
| 8 | Auburn | 75 | at No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 14 LSU, at No. 8 Ole Miss, at No. 12 Alabama |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 73 | at No. 14 LSU, at No. 12 Alabama, at No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 4 Texas |
| 10 | South Carolina | 69 | at No. 12 Alabama, at No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, vs. No. 3 Georgia |
| 11 | Kentucky | 62 | vs. No. 12 Alabama, at No. 11 Texas A&M, vs. No. 14 LSU, at No. 9 Oklahoma, vs. No. 18 Louisville |
| 12 | LSU | 61 | at No. 8 Ole Miss, vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, vs. No. 12 Alabama, vs. No. 4 Texas |
| 13 | Tennessee | 55 | vs. No. 4 Texas, vs. No. 12 Alabama, at No 11 Texas A&M, vs. No. 14 LSU |
| 14 | Georgia | 53 | vs. No. 9 Oklahoma, at No. 12 Alabama, at No. 8 Ole Miss |
| 15 | Vanderbilt | 51 | at No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, vs. No. 12 Alabama |
| 16 | Alabama | 46 | vs. No. 3 Georgia, vs. No. 11 Texas A&M, at No. 14 LSU |
* Rankings based on Sporting News' Post-Spring Top 25
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football's schedule difficulty ranking compared to SEC peers
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos