Key games to watch for Florida football in first season under Jon Sumrall

The matchup will feature more storylines as former Auburn receiver Eric Singleton Jr. figures to play a prominent role in Florida's offense after transferring to UF during the offseason. Auburn also initially targeted Sumrall for its head coaching vacancy before pivoting to Golesh when Sumrall was hired by UF. If Florida can notch a win on the road in its SEC opener, it could set a positive tone for the rest of the season.

Florida football vs Ole Miss, Sept. 26

Florida's SEC home opener will come against an Ole Miss squad with designs on winning a league title in its first full season under head coach Pete Golding. With Golding as interim coach, the Rebels reached the College Football Playoff semifinals before falling to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

Ole Miss returns both standout quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and star running back Kewan Lacy from a team that beat UF 34-24 in Oxford, Miss., a season ago. But the Rebels won't have the offensive mastermind duo of Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr., who have both moved on to LSU.

The game will pit two of the SEC's premier running backs, Lacy and Florida junior Jadan Baugh. The matchup could come down to which team establishes the run better behind their star backs.

Florida football at Texas, Oct. 17

Florida will make its second trip to Austin, Texas, in three years. The Gators upset the Longhorns in The Swamp 29-21 on Oct. 4, 2025. But it didn't go as well for UF in its last trip to Austin as the Longhorns throttled UF 49-17 on Nov. 9, 2024.

Texas has designs on an SEC title with the return of Arch Manning for his second season as starting quarterback. Florida will have its hands full facing a high-powered Longhorns offense led by head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Florida football vs Georgia, Oct. 31, Atlanta

The border rivalry will take on a new look at Florida will face Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It will mark the first time 1995 that the game has been played away from Jacksonville, due to renovations at EverBank Stadium.

Georgia has won five in a row and eight of its last nine games in the series. The Bulldogs return quarterback Gunner Stokcton, who will need to break in a new group of receivers led by Georgia Tech transfer Isiah Canion.

Florida football vs Oklahoma, Nov. 7

The Sooners will make their first-ever trip to The Swamp and should face a raucous atmosphere. Oklahoma is eyeing a return to the College Football Playoffs for the second straight season under head coach Brent Venables.

OU returns quarterback John Mateer, who battled through injuries to pass for 2,885 yards with 14 TDs to 11 interceptions last season. Defensively, the Sooners have always been sound under Venables and will be led by linebacker Owen Heinecke and cornerback Eli Bowen. Former UF tight end Hayden Hansen also will return to The Swamp after transferring to OU during the offseason.

Florida football 2026 schedule

Sept 5 − Florida Atlantic

Sept. 12 − Campbell

Sept. 19 − at Auburn

Sept. 26 − Ole Miss

Oct. 3 − at Missouri

Oct. 10 − South Carolina

Oct. 17 − at Texas

Oct. 31 − Georgia, Atlanta

Nov. 7 − Oklahoma

Nov. 14 − at Kentucky

Nov. 21 − Vanderbilt

Nov. 28 − at Florida State

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football schedule, five games to watch in 2026