Florida football's 2026 schedule set for Jon Sumrall's first season

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The move to a nine-game SEC schedule will result in some interesting matchups for Florida football heading into the 2026 season.

Under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, the Florida Gators will face three teams that qualified for the College Football Playoff this season. The good news? Two of those games are at home, against Ole Miss (Sept. 26) and Oklahoma (Nov. 7). The other is the annual rivalry matchup against Georgia on Oct. 31, which will move from Jacksonville to Atlanta due to renovations at EverBank Stadium.

Six of UF's nine SEC opponents posted winning records last season, with the exceptions being Auburn, Kentucky and South Carolina. Florida will play three of its four games at The Swamp in September but will spend most of October on the road, with its lone home game coming Oct. 10 against the Gamecocks.

There isn't as brutal of a stretch on the schedule as there was last season, when Florida played at LSU, at Miami, Texas and at Texas A&M during a four-game, five-week stretch. Florida went 1-3, which served as the beginning of the end of Billy Napier's tenure as UF coach.

Here's a breakdown of UF's 2026 schedule:

Sept, 5, Florida football vs Florida Atlantic

The Owls are coming off a 4-8 season in 2025 under Zach Kittley, who enters his second season at FAU’s coach. Florida Atlantic did show promise offensively in year one under Kitley, scoring 40 or more points three times, including a 53-33 win over UAB.

Sept. 12, Florida football vs Campbell

The Fighting Camels, an FCS school that plays in the Colonial Athletic Conference, went 2-10 last season. The highlight of Campbell’s season with a 50-48 double-overtime win over Bryant on Sept, 20.

Sept. 19, Florida football at Auburn

Florida football will open SEC play on the road for the second straight season, facing Auburn for the first time since 2019 and the first time on the Plains since 2011. It pits a battle of first-year coaches, as Sumrall will face Auburn’s Alex Golesh, who led USF to an 18-16 upset over the Gators at The Swamp on Sept. 6, 2025.

Sept. 26, Florida football vs Ole Miss

Florida will look to avenge a 34-24 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 15, 2025. Lane Kiffin won’t be coaching the Rebels this time around, replaced by Pete Golding. Florida has won its last two games against Ole Miss at The Swamp, including a 24-17 win on Nov. 23, 2024.

Oct. 3, Florida football at Missouri

Florida will face Missouri for the first time in close to three years, looking to avenge a 33-31 loss to the Tigers at Faurot Field on Nov. 18, 2023. Overall, UF is 6-7 all-time against Missouri.

Oct. 10, Florida football vs. South Carolina

Like Florida, South Carolina is looking to get back on track after a disappointing 4-8 season as Shane Beamer enters his fifth season as the Gamecocks coach. Florida has won five of its last six games against South Carolina, including a 41-39 comeback win the last time the two teams played Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C.

Oct. 17, Florida football at Texas

The Gators will travel to Austin for the second time in the last three seasons after losing 49-17 at Texas on Nov. 9, 2024. Florida upset the Longhorns 29-21 in The Swamp on Oct. 4. With quarterback Arch Manning’s expected return and an improved offensive line, Texas should enter the 2026 season as a national title contender.

Oct. 31, Florida football vs Georgia, Atlanta

Florida and Georgia will play in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium due to renovations at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. Georgia has won five straight in the rivalry and eight of the last games under head coach Kirby Smart.

Nov. 7, Florida football vs Oklahoma

Florida and Oklahoma will meet for just the third time in program history and first time since the Gators lost to the Sooners 55-20 in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30, 2020. UF also beat Oklahoma 24-14 in the BCS Championship game in Miami Gardens on Jan. 8, 2009 to claim its third national title in school history. The two schools have never met at campus sites, so it will mark Oklahoma's first trip to The Swamp.

Nov. 14, Florida football at Kentucky

Florida will look to avenge a 38-7 loss at Kentucky on Nov. 8, 2025 and try to pick up its first win at Kroger Field since 2019. The game will be a homecoming of sorts for Sumrall, who played for the Wildcats from 2002-04 and was a linebackers coach under former UK coach Mark Stoops from 2019-21. Sumrall will face another first-year coach, Will Stein, who was hired on Dec. 1 after a successful stint as Oregon’s offensive coordinator.

Nov. 21, Florida football vs Vanderbilt

Florida will host a Vanderbilt program that’s showed marked improvement under sixth-year coach Clark Lea. The Commodores will make their first trip to The Swamp since falling 38-14 to the Gators on Oct. 7. 2023.

Nov. 28, Florida football at Florida State

Florida has won five of its last seven games against FSU, including a 40-21 win over the Seminoles at The Swamp on Nov. 29, 2025. Florida beat FSU 31-11 the last time the two teams played at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Nov. 30, 2024.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football 2026 schedule set for Jon Sumrall's first season

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