Key games to watch for Florida football in first season under Jon Sumrall

Florida football enters its first season under head coach Jon Sumrall facing another daunting schedule. The Florida Gators will take on three teams that made the College Football Playoff a season ago − Ole Miss, Georgia and Oklahoma − plus two more teams (Texas, Vanderbilt) that finished in the Top 14 of the CFP rankings in 2025. As a result, UF's schedule strength is ranked fifth nationally, per College Football News Network .

The average win total of UF's 12 opponents from 2025 is 7. 3, with five of its opponents posting 10 or more wins last season. The SEC agreed to move to a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2026 to increase revenue and improve competitive balance within the league.

UF's three non-conference games will include home games with Florida Atlantic and Campbell, an FCS opponent. The Gators will then close the 2026 season in their annual rivalry game at Florida State on Nov. 28.

Here are five games to watch in Sumrall's first season: Florida football at Auburn, Sept. 19 UF's SEC opener will also mark its first trip to The Plains since 2011. The game will pit two first-year SEC coaches as Sumrall will face Auburn's Alex Golesh, who led USF to an 18-16 upset over Florida at The Swamp on Sept.