The SEC has made a major shift in how the schedule is going to work moving forward, as each team will end up playing nine games in conference starting in the 2026 season.
This is going to be huge for the entire conference, and the Florida Gators are going to be in an interesting spot when it comes to the schedule. There is one major aspect of the schedule that is going to have a major factor on the success of Billy Napier’s program long-term: they will have three teams that they have to play every single year.
Under the new format, the SEC will continue to play without divisions. Each school will play three annual opponents focused on maintaining traditional rivalries, and the remaining six games will rotate among the rest of the league opponents.
Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years and every opponent home and away over four years.
Who are the most likely candidates to be on the Gators’ three guaranteed games each season? We broke down the percentage odds of the most likely candidates.
Florida Gators SEC schedule annual opponents
100%: Tennessee Volunteers & Georgia Bulldogs
These two are no-brainers. The Volunteers and Bulldogs are far and away the two biggest rivalries that the Gators have, and they are just as big for both Tennessee and Georgia. Taking away both of these yearly rivalries would do everyone a disservice. Hopefully, they can get the Florida/Tennessee game to be consistently at the end of September again, like it was for years.
80%: LSU
The Tigers have developed into one of the bigger rivalries for the Gators, and they are likely the biggest rivals in the SEC outside of Tennessee and Georgia. Some of the most memorable Gator games over the last decade plus have come against the Tigers. After the Tigers add Alabama and Arkansas, the Gators feel like a logical option.
4% each: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Missouri
The idea for the SEC is to keep the rivalries alive which will keep the prestige of the conference. That makes the other teams in the old SEC East the most likely teams to get that final spot. The Gators have had some interesting games against all four team, even though Missouri joined just over 10 years ago.
>1%: Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
One area where the SEC could choose to pursue is trying to make a new rivalry. Texas or Oklahoma vs. Florida each year could end up building out a big rivalry over the course of time. Is that the smart play? That’s an entirely different discussion. Of this list, Alabama might be the sneaky one to pair with the Gators.