The Southeastern Conference announced the 2021 schedules for all 14 of its teams on Wednesday afternoon.
As of now, the SEC plans to move forward with a typical eight-game conference slate with three out of conference matchups. This is a welcome sight following an all-conference 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Florida Gators kick off the season with a pair of in-state foes in FAU and USF. The Gators will visit the South Florida in Week 2 for the first game of the anticipated home-and-home with the Bulls.
Florida quickly gets thrown into SEC play with an early matchup against the 2020 College Football Playoff National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. Both teams will look quite different next season, but the Gators took the Tide down to the wire in Atlanta with a 52-46 final.
The Gators get Tennessee at home under new management a week later. The Volunteers introduced former UCF head coach Josh Huepel as Jeremy Pruitt’s replacement earlier in the day Wednesday.
Florida heads to LSU on Week 7 as the marquee SEC matchup of the week. The Gators are on a two-game skid against the Tigers.
After a bye week, Florida and Georgia will matchup at the traditional Jacksonville location. The Gators finally got revenge against the Bulldogs with a win to secure the SEC East in 2020.
In the final week of the season, the Florida-Florida State rivalry will be renewed in Gainesville despite missing the trip to Tallahassee due to the pandemic.
The Gators finished with an 8-4 record in 2020 and look to improve upon that next season as college football attempts to return to normalcy. Chris Doering said he believes that his former team has the toughest schedule in the conference on SEC Network following the release.
Florida’s full schedule can be found below.
WEEK 1: September 4 vs. Florida Atlantic
WEEK 2: September 11 at South Florida
WEEK 3: September 18 vs. Alabama
WEEK 4: September 25 vs. Tennessee
WEEK 5: October 2 at Kentucky
WEEK 6: October 9 vs. Vanderbilt
WEEK 7: October 16 at LSU
WEEK 8: BYE
WEEK 9: October 30 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, FL)
WEEK 10: November 6 at South Carolina
WEEK 11: November 13 vs. Samford
WEEK 12: November 20 at Missouri
WEEK 13: November 27 vs. Florida State.