History of Rivalry: Gators vs. Hurricanes
Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes were once inseparable football rivals, facing off nearly every year for five decades and missing just one game in that span.
So, why don’t the Florida rivals play every year?
Florida and Miami played every football season from 1938 to 1987, only missing one game during those 50 years. The teams didn’t face each other again until 2001, and they’ve played eight times since then.
In 1987, Florida athletic director Bill Arnsparger informed Miami’s athletic director Sam Jankovich that because the SEC was moving to a seven-game conference slate, the Gators could no longer fit Miami into their schedule.
The schools eventually agreed to a home-and-home series for 1992 and 1993. But the SEC soon expanded to 12 teams, added an eighth conference game and introduced a conference championship. With only three non-conference slots and the annual home-and-home with Florida State already in place, Florida backed out of the Miami series, paying $75,000 per canceled game.
“This is disappointing for our fans in South Florida,” former UF associate athletic director Jeremy Foley said then. “But there were not many alternatives. It was a cut-and-dry situation. I haven’t put a pencil down to it, but we were looking at losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every home game generates millions. It would be unfair to Gainesville, our fans, and our students if we cut back on our home games.”
In December 1990, Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater to take over as Florida’s head coach. At his introductory news conference, he underscored the importance of the Miami rivalry.
“We can’t run, duck or hide from Miami,” Spurrier said.
Miami leads the series 30-27. Florida is 9-12 at home against Miami, 14-16 on the road and 4-3 in neutral-site games. Last season, the Gators fell to the Hurricanes 41-17 in The Swamp.
This year, the Gators (1-2) travel to face No. 4 Miami (3-0), hoping to redeem themselves. Florida enters the matchup coming off back-to-back losses: a 20-10 defeat at No. 3 LSU and an 18-16 loss to USF in Gainesville.
Last year, Gators coach Billy Napier called the season-opening loss to Miami “embarrassing.” The Hurricanes dominated in all phases of the game, while the Gators’ offense struggled most of the day and was forced to play the fourth quarter without starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who left with a concussion.
Napier entered last season already on the hot seat. The pressure has only intensified this year after a shocking loss to USF and a heartbreaking defeat to LSU, where DJ Lagway threw five interceptions, the most by a UF quarterback since 1992.
Going into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. game, both Lagway and Napier are under immense pressure. Not to mention, the Hurricanes beat then-ranked No. 18 USF 49-12 last Saturday.
ESPN announced that “College GameDay” will be in attendance for the Florida-Miami showdown, and the Gators have a lot to prove.
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Category: ACC, College Football, Gators Football, SEC
