Florida football adds Colorado and Texas to future schedules

Florida football adds two Power 5 nonconference home-and-home series to future schedules.

Last week, Florida AD Scott Stricklin teased two upcoming future home-and-home series for Florida football and the announcements did not disappoint .

Gators book first trip to Boulder

Florida football will host Colorado in Gainesville in 2028 and the Gators will head to Boulder to face the Buffaloes in 2029.

This will mark Florida football’s first true nonconference regular season road game outside of the Sunshine State since a 1991 trip to Syracuse (2017 against Michigan was on a neutral site) and the first nonconference home-and-home series with a Pac-12 school since 1982-83 against Southern Cal.

Florida and Colorado have not previously met on the gridiron, so kudos to Scott Stricklin on locking in a new opponent. Boulder is a short drive from Denver and this should be a popular road trip for Gator Nation. Folsom Field, and its views of the Rocky Mountains, is an underrated venue in college football and is well worth the trip if you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Ralphie run.

Gators hook the Horns for two game series

The May 8th announcement of the Colorado series was met with mostly positive reviews, but the main criticism of the deal centered around Colorado not being a major power. Stricklin satisfied those complaints two days later by announcing a home-and-home series with the Texas Longhorns.

Texas enters The Swamp to take on the Gators in 2030 and Florida football will travel to face the Longhorns in Austin in 2031.

Florida and Texas have met in a home-and-home series previously, though Gator fans would like to forget those devastating defeats in 1939 (12-0 in Austin) and 1940 (26-0 in Gainesville). The Gators fared somewhat better in their first meeting with the Longhorns, a 7-7 tie  in 1924, leaving the all time series between the two schools at 2-0-1 in favor of Texas.

I’m sure avenging the 1940 loss will be fresh in the minds of today’s third graders who will be suiting up for the Gators in 2030.

This is a huge series for Florida football and, hopefully, a sign of a changing approach from the athletic department that will continue into the future.

Stricklin not done yet

I’ve written about the Gators’ nonconference scheduling practices a few months back. For years, Florida football has missed out on an opportunity to create more of a national identity, but with the announcements of these two series, Stricklin has taken aim at fixing this issue.

Road games to new destinations are appealing to both fans and potential recruits alike. I have not surveyed any the recruiting class still in the third grade, but I’m certain they’re fired up about going to Austin in 2031.

Lining up home-and-home series against attractive Power 5 opponents will create buzz and guarantee the Gators can grab time in the national spotlight early each season.

Colorado and Texas are a great start, but according to Stricklin, there’s more to come.

How about a trip to Big Ten country? Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, or Nebraska?