Florida’s trip to Auburn on Saturday is more than just the start of SEC play. It’s a road test, a rivalry game and a chance for first-year head coach Jon Sumrall to land the kind of win that puts a new era on the map.
Sumrall knows exactly what conference games bring.
"It's exciting. I'm excited every week," Sumrall said on Monday.
"I mean, SEC play, they count different. They count twice.
I tell our team all the time when you turn to conference play, you’re counting your overall record and your college record. The ones the last two weeks counted overall.
So, these games count twice. So, it's a tremendous challenge, tremendous opportunity, go on the road.
If there's a whole lot that needs to be said to get anybody further in to go play in SEC football games, we got the wrong people here. And I'll say something to hopefully get them ready, but there should be some self-motivation here."
Florida’s players also know this one carries a little extra edge, even if they’re not leaning into revenge talk. Auburn head coach Alex Golesh and quarterback Byrum Brown beat the Gators while at USF last season, but linebacker Myles Graham said Florida is treating this matchup as its own thing.
"That game doesn't matter to this game now, but it definitely gives us the experience," Graham said. "We know what to expect more. It's the same kind of system, so we know what to expect going into it."
The Gators enter the week with a shot at their first 3-0 start since 2019. They’re also trying to give Sumrall his first signature win at Florida and stop a five-game skid in road games.
Auburn leads the all-time series 43-39-2 and has won four of the last six meetings, including the last three on the Plains. Florida, though, took the most recent matchup, a 24-13 win in 2019.
Kickoff conditions could be a factor, too. Weather.com is calling for 80 degrees Fahrenheit, isolated thunderstorms and a 32 percent chance of rain.
Florida is a 2.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel, with the over/under set at 53.5 points.
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Now the two programs meet again with both entering unranked, both 2-0, and both guided by new head coaches, which gives this one a different feel even before kickoff. Floridas reminder was sharp and simple, but it also underlined how much history can still shape an SEC opener, especially when the past includes one play Auburn supporters would just as soon forget. [Read more 🡒]
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