![Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_36,w_2614,h_1470/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01krbve7yx1fv2ndb177.jpg "Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
CBS Sports is continuing their offseason stories about projected top-25 teams with the Florida Gators coming in at No. 23 and the current topic is finding the defining game of the season.
Austin Nivison declares that the October 10 home matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks is the one that will define the season for the Gators. It's the first time Florida and South Carolina will meet on the field since 2023 and the first time in Gainesville since 2022. The Gators have two straight and five of their past six against the Gamecocks.
CBS Sports determines that South Carolina will be the game that defines Florida's season
Nivison writes that South Carolina is the start of a really difficult stretch of games that include a road trip to Texas and the annual Georgia game, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this year and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa the following year. Florida also opens November with a home game against Oklahoma.
The Gators' schedule from top-to-bottom isn't easy by any measure, so I can see where Nivison is coming from. A win against the Gamecocks and it's easy to see Florida starting the season 4-2, 5-1 or...possibly 6-0. After that the schedule becomes much more difficult to manage.
Auburn is a better choice for Florida's pivotal game of the season
There are a lot of parallels between the Tigers and the Gators. Both programs are bringing in new coaches that have brought new enthusiasm and energy. Both programs have huge expectations for Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh, respectively. Florida should be 2-0 as it heads to the Plains for Sumrall's first road trip of the season. Auburn could be 2-0 as well, but the Tigers' early schedule of Baylor and Southern Miss is a little more challenging.
Expect a lot of fanfare around this game because of the new coaches, the Gators' first trip to Auburn in 15 years and two fanbases that are really eager for something good to happen on the gridiron. If Florida can win their first conference road game under Sumrall, it's going to be a harbinger for good things to come.
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