The SEC is transitioning to a nine-game model, effective in 2026. The end result is that everyone in the conference is going to have three "permanent" opponents, and then teams will rotate through the rest of the conference for the other six games.
The new model ensures that everyone will get to play everyone both home and away over a four-year rotation, but it is also going to put a strain on some longtime rivals.
While the SEC is going to officially announce everyone's three permanent opponents on Tuesday night, a leaked report has been released, and it would give Florida three permanent opponents that most of Gator Nation didn't ask for.
Classic rivals at risk for Florida Gators
According to Chris Low of On3, Florida's three permanent opponents from 2026 through 2029 are going to be Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky.
This means that longtime rivals such as Tennessee and LSU are going to move to a rotating basis for the time being.
These three opponents really aren't a shock to anyone paying attention.
Last month, when this plan was announced, we said at the time it wouldn't be a shock if the SEC just followed the same model they used for basketball.
The three teams Florida has a home-and-away with in basketball for 2025-26:
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- Kentucky
The good news is that this should soften Florida's schedule moving forward, making it less of a gauntlet than what we have seen over the past two seasons.
But even at the risk of a more difficult schedule, not having Tennessee is going to be weird and cuts at the heart of what makes college football great.
The irony is that if the SEC followed its original model it put out to mirror basketball, Florida and Tennessee would have been paired up. That home-and-away was moved, however, after Florida and Kentucky only played once this past season, and fans complained.
Really, the solution that would make both football and basketball fans happy is to cut out South Carolina and make the three permanent opponents Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, but that would make too much sense.