Florida’s next two SEC dates now have a clearer shape, with the league setting the Gators’ Oct. 3 trip to Missouri for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
The Week 5 matchup in Columbia, Miss., will start at 2:30 p.m. CT and will air on ABC or ESPN, with the final television assignment to be revealed after Saturday’s games.
Florida, ranked No. 21, will enter that road game at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in SEC play. Missouri is also 3-0, though the Tigers have yet to open conference play.
The meeting at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium will be Florida’s second road game of the 2026 season, following Saturday night’s 44-39 win at Auburn.
It also adds another chapter to a series that has leaned Missouri’s way. The teams will meet for the 14th time, with the Tigers holding a 7-6 edge. Florida and Missouri were yearly SEC East opponents from 2012 through 2023, but they haven’t played since the Gators’ 33-31 loss in Columbia in November 2023.
Before that trip to Missouri, Florida has another major test waiting at home. The Gators host No.
4 Ole Miss on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Week 4.
That will be the third straight season Florida and Ole Miss have met and the 28th all-time matchup between the programs. The series, which dates to 1926, is tied 13-13-1. Ole Miss beat Florida in Oxford last November, 34-24, while the Gators took the most recent meeting in Gainesville, 24-17 in 2024.
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall didn’t sugarcoat where his team stands after the Auburn win.
"It was good to win last week. If we want to win this week, we got to get a lot better. Last week's performance will not cut it against the offense we're getting ready to play," Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said Monday.
He expanded on that point by stressing the challenge Ole Miss presents and the standard Florida needs to hit.
"A lot of respect for Ole Miss. Really good football team, 13- 2 last year, went to the College Football Playoff semifinals, a lot of the same returning cast in many spots.
Well-coached, talented, huge challenge. We need a great home-field advantage Saturday.
I think we'll have an awesome crowd. I Can't wait to see our fanbase, but our guys gotta get ready to play a lot better football or we will be really disappointed in the outcome this week, because last week's performance will not win this week."
Florida’s 2026 schedule now includes:
Campbell: Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m. ET (WIN, 52-3)
@ Auburn: Sept. 19, 7 p.m. ET (WIN, 44-39)
Ole Miss: Sept. 26, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
@ Missouri: Oct. 3, FLEX, network TBA
South Carolina: Oct. 10, EARLY, network TBA
@ Texas: Oct. 17, EARLY, network TBA
BYE
Georgia: Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC [at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.]
Oklahoma: Nov. 7, FLEX, network TBA
@ Kentucky: Nov. 14, NIGHT, network TBA
Vanderbilt: Nov. 21, EARLY, network TBA
@ Florida State: Nov. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Added More Heat To Floridas Auburn Debate
Floridas win over Auburn only added another layer to an already noisy coaching conversation, because the postgame buzz quickly shifted away from the scoreboard and toward Jon Sumralls future. The Florida head coach was asked about the November rumors tying him to Auburns opening, and he was direct in brushing them aside while the speculation around that search kept swirling.
Sumrall said he did not interview for the job, and his answer carried plenty of edge: They didnt want me, I didnt want them. The larger backdrop is Auburns reported desire to keep defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin in place, a detail that has fueled questions about how serious the Tigers ever were and whether that dynamic helped push Sumrall away before the conversation got anywhere meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Have Found A New Defensive Weapon Up Front
Emmanuel Oyebadejo wasted little time making his presence felt for Florida, and he did it while still working back from an ankle injury. In his first SEC game as a transfer defensive end, he logged 37 snaps, finished with 2.5 sacks and seven total pressures, and graded out as the highest performer on the team according to PFF, a strong early sign the Gators may have found another reliable piece up front.
Jon Sumrall has already taken notice of the toughness Oyebadejo showed in handling that workload so soon after the injury. For a Florida defense looking to keep building depth and disruption at the line of scrimmage, his debut offered more than just a promising stat line, it hinted at a player who could become a real problem for opposing quarterbacks as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Auburn Win Revealed A Split Fans Cant Ignore
Floridas Week 3 win over Auburn came with a useful follow-up from Pro Football Focus, which broke down the Gators on an individual and unit-by-unit level. The grading offered a clearer look at where the game was won, showing Floridas running game as the top offensive area while pass blocking lagged behind the rest of that side of the ball.
On defense, the split was just as telling. Pressure stood out as the strongest unit, and coverage came in as the lowest-graded area, a contrast that gives the Gators plenty to review even after a victory. Jayden Woods was among the players singled out for his pressure work, a reminder that Floridas front can create problems even when the back end is still sorting itself out. [Read more 🡒]