Florida cancels multiple home-and-home series after SEC adopts nine-game conference schedule

Florida has canceled its future home-and-home series with Arizona State (2028, 2031), NC State (2026, 2032), and Cal (2026, 2027) to better align with the SEC’s new nine-game conference schedule, according to On3‘s Brett McMurphy. 247Sports had the first report.

Starting in 2026, the SEC will add a ninth league game and will also require its schools to schedule a non-conference power opponent. This is forcing SEC schools to readjust their future schedules.

Florida reportedly included a clause in all three of its contracts. That clause allowed the Gators to cancel the future series if the SEC ultimately went to a nine-game conference schedule, according to 247Sports.

With the cancellation of the NC State and Cal games in 2026, Florida’s non-conference schedule now includes Florida Atlantic, Campbell and the annual rivalry with Florida State. In 2027, the Gators host South Alabama, Charleston Southern and FSU.

Any other future cancellations by Florida are reportedly considered “fluid,” according to 247Sports. That means current home-and-home contracts with Colorado in 2028 and 2029, as well as Notre Dame in 2031 and 2032, remain in effect after being agreed to in 2019 and 2021, per 247Sports.

Future Florida non-conference games*

2026: Florida Atlantic, Campbell, at Florida State
2027: South Alabama, Charleston Southern, Florida State
2028: Furman, Colorado, at Florida State
2029: Colorado, Florida State
2030: Florida A&M, UCF, at Florida State
2031: at Notre Dame, Florida State
2032: Notre Dame, at Florida State
2033: UCF, Florida State

*Per FBSchedules.com

Billy Napier stresses importance of preserving Florida-Florida State rivalry

With the SEC’s move to a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2026, a lot has been made of how the league will determine each team’s three intra-conference permanent rivals. But as SEC teams make adjustments to their future non-conference opponents to better adapt to the new conference slate, there are growing concerns about the impact on longstanding out-of-conference rivalries.

For teams like Florida that have multiple in-state non-conference rivals in Florida State and Miami, the new nine-game SEC schedule could lead to some difficult choices ahead. But as far as fourth-year Gators head coach Billy Napier is concerned, the annual Florida-FSU rivalry won’t be going anywhere.

“I think that game is historical in relevance and certainly it’s not going away. Not only would our people not let that happen, but I know their administration, their alumni, their fanbase would feel the same way,” Napier said Aug. 27 on the SEC’s weekly coaches teleconference. “We’re going to play that game regardless. If they told us we had 11 conference games, we’d still play Florida-Florida State. It’s if not the greatest, one of the greatest rivalries of all time and a pretty special opportunity for both teams each year.”

Titled the Sunshine Showdown, the Florida-Florida State rivalry series has been played every year since its inception in 1958, regularly coming on the final Saturday of the regular season. The Gators hold the all-time series lead at 38-28-2 and won the most recent game 31-11 on Nov. 30, 2024.