As Jon Sumrall prepares for his first season at Florida in 2026, most of the attention naturally lands on the heavy hitters. Auburn has been tagged by some as the cleanest apples-to-apples measuring stick for the new Gators coach, and plenty of fans are already eyeing the run through Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Still, the game that may reveal the most about where Florida is headed is the one that has slipped a little under the radar: Missouri.
Josh Pate recently projected what he thinks the preseason AP Top 25 will look like when it drops, and he had Florida opening at No. 24.
In that same projection, Missouri checked in at No. 23.
That alone gives the matchup real weight, but the game comes with plenty of built-in intrigue. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was once rumored as a candidate for the Florida job before Gator fans pushed back hard at the idea of his “smoke-and-mirrors act” coming to Gainesville.
Then there’s the uncertainty around Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy, who was shot in the leg this offseason. And at quarterback, Missouri has Austin Simmons, who was a Florida commit under Billy Napier before he moved his classification date up two years and flipped to Ole Miss all at once.
Even setting all of that aside, Missouri could wind up defining Florida’s season. Pate’s projections have Texas at No.
1, Georgia at No. 7, Ole Miss at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No.
- If Florida drops those four games, then the trip to Missouri becomes the swing point between an 8-4 finish and something much more disappointing.
But if the Gators can win in Columbia and also take one of the home games against Ole Miss or Oklahoma, the path opens toward 9-3 and even a shot at sneaking into the playoff if the right things fall into place.
Missouri has never been the game Florida fans naturally circle. The Tigers are probably the SEC team Gator fans feel least connected to. But in 2026, that road trip may end up telling everyone the most about Sumrall’s first season.
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ESPN Ranking Just Did Emmitt Smith's Florida Legacy No Favors
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Smiths Florida rsum is the sharper football argument, especially when measured against what he did in the SEC and the way he carried the offense year after year. ESPNs choice may have been framed around college production and accolades, but it also invites the obvious question of how a player with Smiths impact at Florida, and the legacy that followed him beyond college, ended up trailing in a ranking built around greatness by jersey number. [Read more 🡒]
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The schedule is officially set and packed with recognizable moments, including multiple mens basketball wins and a pair of football broadcasts that frame the day from start to finish. SEC Network is clearly leaning into the idea that there was no shortage of Gators content worth replaying, and the bookends alone should be enough to keep Florida fans checking the guide more than once. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Got Major Validation In A Defining 2000s Debate
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The timing is notable because Florida plans to induct Meyer into its Ring of Honor during the 2026 season, adding another layer to the programs look back at its most dominant stretch. The decade debate always leaves room for arguments, with Oklahoma and Texas among the other names in the mix, but Floridas case is hard to ignore when the discussion turns to championships, SEC titles and the standard it set for the rest of college football. [Read more 🡒]