A series left for dead may be returning to a football field near you soon. The Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes are in negotiations to renew what used to be an annual rivalry on the gridiron.
On Tuesday night, at an Accent speaking engagement with students, Jim McElwain was asked about renewing the rivalry with Miami.
“It’s something we’ve talked about,” he said. “There might be some things in the works and yet, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag there at all. It’s definitely not one of those things that we’re dodging them.”
The Gainesville Sun reported Wednesday that Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley confirmed that negotiations are ongoing and that both schools are looking at he Citrus Bowl in Orlando as a neutral site where the two teams could meet.
“We’re still looking on that game in Orlando with Miami,” Foley said. “There’s a very good chance it will happen, but that’s not final yet.”
Foley would not commit to an annual renewal of the rivalry, saying that it simply “wasn’t on the agenda.”
Florida and Miami played on a yearly basis until 1987, when Florida dropped Miami from its schedule, claiming the reason was the Southeastern Conference’s requirement for teams to play eight league opponents. Foley has stated publically, repeatedly, that Florida needs eight home games in order to finance the athletic department, and a home-and-home series with Miami, in conjunction with the neutral site game vs. Georgia, simply wouldn’t allow that.
Miami leads the series history 29-26 and have won eight of the last 10 matchups with Florida, including a 21-16 win the last time the two teams met in 2013.
In 2013 Florida announced a season-opening matchup against Michigan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In a release about that game, Foley said, “I think when you are presented with unique opportunities you need to look at it for your fans’ sake, for your program’s sake.”
A 2019 season opener against Miami in Orlando would be a unique opportunity for both fan bases and is probably too unique a proposition for either Athletic Director to balk on.