Florida and Auburn are finally back on the same schedule, and ESPN’s SP+ thinks the Gators leave Jordan-Hare Stadium with the better end of the scoreboard.
The projection has Florida winning 26-21 in Saturday’s Week 3 SEC opener, a matchup that also pits two first-year head coaches against each other. Auburn’s Alex Golesh and Florida’s Jon Sumrall both enter the game trying to keep their starts perfect at 3-0.
Florida has looked sharp through two weeks, piling up points in a pair of lopsided wins. The Gators opened with a 66-21 rout of Florida Atlantic, then followed that up with a 52-3 blowout of FCS Campbell. Through those two games, they’ve outscored opponents 118-24.
Auburn has taken a different path to 2-0. The Tigers had to sweat out their opener in Atlanta against Baylor, hanging on for a 17-16 win after Eric Winters made a game-saving tackle on a Bears two-point conversion attempt with nine seconds left. They were much more comfortable in Week 2, rolling past Southern Miss 43-8 in their home opener.
The rivalry itself has been on pause since 2019, when Florida beat Auburn 24-13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Saturday will also be the Gators’ first visit to Auburn since 2011.
The series has been close overall, even if Auburn holds the edge in the all-time numbers at 44-39-2. And this break won’t last long, either - the teams are scheduled to meet again in Gainesville in 2028.
In Other News...
Floridas SEC Opener Just Got More Concerning For This Gators Playmaker
Eric Singletons status is giving Florida another issue to sort through as it heads into its SEC opener against Auburn. The Gators receiver has been limited in practice while working back from an ankle injury, and coach Jon Sumrall said he is not yet guaranteed to play. Singleton has already missed games because of the injury, leaving Florida without one of its pass-catching options as the league schedule begins to tighten.
A return for Auburn would obviously help, but the more realistic question is whether Singleton can be ready to contribute without being rushed. Florida is at least keeping alive the possibility that he could be back for the Ole Miss game on Sept. 26, which gives the Gators a little more time to manage the situation. For now, though, his availability is one of the more notable injury watch items hanging over the weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Singleton Jr Brings Major Suspense To Floridas Auburn Test
Floridas preparation for Auburn has come with a dose of uncertainty, and it starts with Eric Singleton Jr. The receiver, who transferred to Gainesville from Auburn, has been sidelined by an ankle injury sustained in Week 1, and head coach Jon Sumrall said both Singleton and defensive lineman Emmanuel Oyebadejo were limited in practice this week. The encouraging part for Florida is that both players are out of their walking boots, a sign they are moving in the right direction as the Gators get closer to kickoff.
Still, the bigger question is whether either will actually be available when Florida lines up against Auburn. Sumrall called both questionable, which leaves the Gators waiting on two players who could affect the game in very different ways, especially Singleton against the school he just left. For a Florida team trying to sort out its lineup late in the week, the uncertainty is enough to keep this matchup feeling a little more tense than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Vernell Brown III Is Giving Florida A Dangerous New Weapon
Vernell Brown III gave Florida a jolt in Week 2 against Campbell, and not just because the Gators were able to cash in on a lopsided win. The freshman showed up in every phase he touched, turning two punt returns into touchdowns while also adding three catches for 43 yards and another score, a reminder that his value goes well beyond the return game.
What makes the performance more intriguing for Florida is the process behind it. Special teams coach Jon Sumrall pointed to analyst Greg McMahons new punt return strategy as part of the setup that helped Brown break loose, and Browns arrival in Gainesville already carried a bigger meaning, tied to his family legacy and the staffs vision for how he could be used. If this was the first glimpse of what that plan can look like, the Gators may have found a dangerous new weapon. [Read more 🡒]