Florida headed to in-state venue in ESPN's latest bowl projections

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Week 1 of the 2026 college football season has officially come and gone, and while there was only one matchup between ranked teams, several results across the country made an impact on the latest bowl and College Football Playoff projections.

As the season continues, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach gave an early look at how the postseason could unfold.

For Florida, both analysts have the Gators projected to make a postseason appearance in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. However, the disparity comes in who they think the Orange and Blue will face, with Bonagura projecting a matchup against Pitt and Schlabach projecting SMU as the opponent.

These two matchups are quite unusual for the Gators.

Florida only has one previous matchup with Pitt, and it came on Oct. 8, 1977. The lone game between the two programs resulted in a 17-17 tie in Gainesville. Should the programs meet in December, 49 years will have passed since they last faced each other.

Though it's not by much, the Gators have played SMU more recently. Their last matchup came in the 1978 season opener in Orlando, Florida, which saw the Mustangs defeat the Gators 35-25. The two programs have four total meetings, splitting the series 2-2.

If any of these projections hold, Florida would be playing a fairly unfamiliar opponent, as UF last saw both programs nearly five decades ago.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida headed to in-state venue in ESPN's latest bowl projections

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