Alabama showdown in Week 3 headlines Gators football schedule

A general view of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the third quarter of the Towson Tigers against the Florida Gators on Sept. 28, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) (JAMES GILBERT PHOTO, 2019 James Gilbert)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida announced its football schedule on Wednesday, headlined by home games with Alabama and Florida State.

The Gators open with a pair of nonconference opponents in Florida Atlantic and then on the road at South Florida before welcoming reigning national champion Alabama to Gainesville on Sept. 18. It is the Crimson Tide’s first visit to the Swamp since 2011.

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The annual showdown with Georgia in Jacksonville is back to its traditional spot on the calendar, Oct. 30. Those teams played a week later than normal, Nov. 7, 2020, last season. Florida crushed the Bulldogs 44-28.

The Gators face Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina and Missouri on the road. In addition to Alabama and rival Florida State, Florida will host Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Samford at home.

The Gators finished 2020 with an 8-4 record, including three consecutive losses — LSU, to Alabama in the SEC title game and to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl — to end the season. Due to COVID-19, SEC teams played a conference-only schedule in 2020.

Gators 2021 football schedule

Date, Opponent

Sept. 4 vs. Florida Atlantic

Sept. 11 at South Florida

Sept. 18 vs. Alabama

Sept. 25 vs. Tennessee

Oct. 2 at Kentucky

Oct. 9 vs. Vanderbilt

Oct. 16 at LSU

Oct. 23 BYE

Oct. 30 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)

Nov. 6 at South Carolina

Nov. 13 vs. Samford

Nov. 20 at Missouri

Nov. 27 vs. Florida State


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.