Billy Napier Reaffirms Florida-FSU Rivalry Will Survive SEC’s Schedule Shift

During his first SEC teleconference, Florida head coach Billy Napier was peppered with questions for 10 minutes. One of the questions asked was about the SEC shifting to a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2026, and what that means for the annual Florida vs. Florida State rivalry game.

“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. “I mean we’re going to play that game regardless. If they told us we had 11 conference games we would still play Florida – Florida State.

It’s one of the, If not the greatest, one of the greatest rivalries of all time and a pretty special opportunity for both teams each year.”

One of the oldest and most sacred rivalries in college football, the Gators and Seminoles first squared off back in 1958. Since then, the two have met every year since, excluding the 2020 COVID season. Florida holds the all-time series lead at 38-28-2, and has won four of the last six.

Florida will host this year’s meeting on Nov. 29 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, looking to win back-to-back games against Florida State for the first time since they took three in a row from 2018-2021.

When the news broke that the conference was shifting to a nine-game schedule, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement in response to the decision.

“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,”  Sankey said. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and paired with our requirement to play an additional Power opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.”

Florida will likely have to start dropping non-conference opponents in the near future to adjust to this new format. Since Florida State is not coming off the list, here are some notable power four non-conference games scheduled. Colorado and at Arizona State (2028), at Colorado (2029), at UCF (2030), Arizona State and at Notre Dame (2031), Notre Dame (2032) and UCF (2033).

Other notable topics Napier answered during the teleconference was the depth on both sides of the ball and how the end of last season can carry into 2025.

Napier on the depth of the team: “Well, I think the big thing right now after practicing for a few days is can our twos and rotational threes that don’t have experience handle the in-season workload? You know, new information, new personnel, new gameplan, a little bit different structure and rhythm to the week, right? So we have to get those guys in a place where they know what’s coming next and they can execute their plan, and be well-prepared and play with confidence.”

“In my opinion, that’s going to determine how good we can be, is the response of that group here now that we’re into the season and they’re doing some things that maybe they haven’t done before. So, we have work to do. I think the twos and rotational threes that went yesterday, in general, I think our attention to detail needs to be a little bit better. But we do have some vets that I think are capable of being great examples and kind of taking that group under their wings as we go here.”

Napier on how his team can keep the momentum going: “I think that there was a belief factor that maybe resonated that hasn’t before. This was the first time in our tenure that we have finished strong in the regular season and postseason, and I do think that that belief in what we do and how we do it has helped our offseason.”

“I think our players have a certain level of confidence that’s built around how we prepare. Their work, their confidence in each other, and ultimately some guys that have played a lot of football around here. So I think, we still have, about 30 percent of the team is new, and I think it’s critical that we onboard those guys the right way here as we start the season. To get the result you want on gameday, you have to execute your process throughout the week a certain way, and I think that’s where our focus is at right now.”

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