Florida football: What is the Gators’ ideal eight game schedule?

Florida football vs South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gators and the Gamecocks, among the speculation that the conference would be going with a nine-game schedule, and been rumored to be one of each other’s three yearly opponents.

So why would they go away from that matchup in 2024?

Obviously, these teams have been playing each other every season for a while now as they’re both in the SEC East. And while it isn’t as high profile of a matchup as some of the other games, it’s still pretty important.

For starters, from Florida’s point of view, it will be a bit of a break from the tough schedule I outlined in the first three matchups, assuming those all come true.

Not to say that SC is a cakewalk at all with Beamer at the helm, but they aren’t a superpower like other schools.

Plus, the history between these two is significant enough to warrant a matchup. Steve Spurrier is one of the greatest Gators of all time as both a player and a coach, who as you all know also spent time as the head coach of the Gamecocks where he coached a good bit against the Gators.

It’s worth keeping some of the lower-profile games so that the conference doesn’t feel totally changed by the new schedule. And the Gators’ game against USC Jr. is a perfect example of one that should stay.