A Look at Gators’ History vs. Annual Opponents
With the SEC’s nine-game conference schedule starting next year, Florida football’s three permanent annual opponents are set through 2029: Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Here’s a deep dive into Florida’s history against these frequent foes:
Georgia
The Bulldogs have dominated the Gators.
Florida has a losing all-time record against the Bulldogs at 44-56-2. The Gators are also 3-7 in their last 10 matchups. When they met last year in Jacksonville for the annual “World’s Largest Cocktail Party,” the Gators fell short 34-20. Georgia had a whopping 26 first downs, double Florida’s total of 13.
The longest winning streak Florida has ever had against Georgia was a seven-game run from 1990 to 1996. In 1996, Florida also had its largest margin of victory, winning 47-7.
The Gators next match up with the Bulldogs will be Nov. 1 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. This rivalry game has been in Jacksonville since 1993, but will move to Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa Bay in 2027 while EverBank undergoes renovations.
Kentucky
Florida has an all-time winning record of 54-21 against Kentucky. Its longest win streak was a lengthy 31 games from 1987 to 2017. The Gators are also on the winning side of the duel’s last 10 matchups with a 6-4 record.
But since COVID-19, things have changed.
Before defeating Kentucky 48-20 in The Swamp last year, Florida had a three-game losing streak. The Gators dominated this game from the start; a field goal in the first quarter put them on the board and they held onto the lead the rest of the game.
Florida will look to post another win against the Wildcats Nov. 8, traveling to Lexington. Florida has a 22-12 record when playing at Kentucky.
South Carolina
Florida’s history with South Carolina dates all the way back to 1911.
The Gators have a 31-10-3 all-time record against the Gamecocks. Their longest winning streak was from 1964 to 2004 when the Gators won 14 games. The teams did not play from 1965 to 1991 because South Carolina had not joined the SEC. The Gamecocks also have never obtained a win streak longer than two games against Florida, while the Gators have won the last two against SC. But they won’t play this year, as with SEC schedule restructuring, last season was the first time since 1992 that the Gators did not play.
In 2023, Florida won in tight fashion 41-39. Ricky Pearsall caught a touchdown with less than a minute left that put Florida on top.
The SEC will announce its full 2026 through 2029 schedules live on SEC Network and ESPN 2 Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The conference built schedules around maintaining traditional rivalries, achieving rotational frequency, ensuring competitive fairness and looking to push more teams into the College Football Playoff.
Category: College Football, Football, Gators Football
