A little more than a month stands between now and the start of Florida football’s 2026 campaign. As a new era dawns in the Swamp with the arrival of Jon Sumrall and his hand-picked staff, the Gator Nation is feeling positive heading into the program’s 114th season.
However, once again the Orange and Blue face one of the toughest schedules in the nation — particularly after the SEC expanded its conference slate to nine games — checking in at No. 7 in ESPN’s 2026 preseason rankings. The Gators are looking to bounce back from a 4-8 finish last season, but like in recent years, it will not be easy.
Which brings us to the current topic at hand: ranking Florida’s opponents for this coming season in order of difficulty from easiest to toughest. Sumrall and Co. will face one FCS team — the Campbell Fighting Camels — in Week 2 and the FAU Owls — an American Athletic Conference member — in Week 1. Otherwise, the schedule is packed with challenging conference opponents, as well as an FSU Seminoles squad that is also seeking to improve from last season.
Below is a look at all 12 opponents that the Gators will face this fall, ranked in order of their Football Power Index ratings; Florida checks in at No. 18 in the FPI with a 13.6 rating. Also included is each team’s 2025 record as well as the all-time record between the two competing schools.
Here is how things pan out based on those parameters. Make note that each school’s overall FPI ranking is included in parentheses.
12. Campbell Fighting Camels (FCS)
- Date/Place: Sept. 12 / Gainesville
- FPI: N/A
- 2025 Record: 2-10
- All-Time vs Florida: N/A
11. Florida Atlantic Owls (115)
- Date/Place: Sept. 5 / Gainesville
- FPI: -11.3
- 2025 Record: 4-8
- All-Time vs Florida: 4-0 (UF)
10. Kentucky Wildcats (40)
- Date/Place: Nov. 14 / Lexington
- FPI: 5.4
- 2025 Record: 5-7
- All-Time vs Florida: 54-22 (UF)
9. Vanderbilt Commodores (29)
- Date/Place: Nov. 21 / Gainesville
- FPI: 9.0
- 2025 Record: 10-3
- All-Time vs Florida: 44-11-2 (UF)
8. Florida State Seminoles (28)
- Date/Place: Nov. 27 / Tallahassee
- FPI: 9.3
- 2025 Record: 5-7
- All-Time vs Florida: 39-28-2 (UF)
7. South Carolina Gamecocks (23)
- Date/Place: Oct. 10 / Gainesville
- FPI: 11.7
- 2025 Record: 4-8
- All-Time vs Florida: 31-10-3 (UF)
6. Auburn Tigers (22)
- Date/Place: Sept. 19 / Auburn
- FPI: 12.0
- 2025 Record: 5-7
- All-Time vs Florida: 39-43-2 (AU)
5. Missouri Tigers (21)
- Date/Place: Oct. 3 / Columbia
- FPI: 12.2
- 2025 Record: 8-5
- All-Time vs Florida: 6-7 (UM)
4. Ole Miss Rebels (14)
- Date/Place: Sept. 26 / Gainesville
- FPI: 16.0
- 2025 Record: 13-2
- All-Time vs Florida: 13-13-1
3. Oklahoma Sooners (12)
- Date/Place: Nov. 7 / Gainesville
- FPI: 17.8
- 2025 Record: 10-3
- All-Time vs Florida: 1-1
2. Georgia Bulldogs (5)
- Date/Place: Oct. 31 / Atlanta
- FPI: 24.8
- 2025 Record: 12-2
- All-Time vs Florida: 44-57-2 (UGA)
1. Texas Longhorns (2)
- Date/Place: Oct. 17 / Austin
- FPI: 26.9
- 2025 Record: 10-3
- All-Time vs Florida: 1-3-1 (UT)
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Ranking Florida football’s 2026 opponents from easiest to toughest
