ESPN creates a headache for Florida fans with FSU game start time

The annual matchup between Florida and Florida State hasn’t exactly been must-see TV for national audiences over the past few years. FSU has been a complete dumpster fire, and last year the Gators weren’t too far behind. Florida has won the past years and should be the favorite heading into this year.

But as kick-off times are being announced for the 2026 season, this year’s regular-season finale is in a time slot that has Gator fans annoyed with what they are getting dragged into.

Florida and FSU set to kick off on Black Friday

Florida and Florida State are set to kick off at 3:30 PM on November 27.

For those keeping score at home, November 27 is Black Friday, which means Florida is going to play at 3:30 on a Friday.

This isn’t the first time the two teams have squared off on Black Friday, and they played on the date in 2022, but that game was at night. And while most fans shouldn’t have too much difficulty watching given the holiday weekend, there are bound to be fans who can’t watch the start due to having to go back to work that Friday.

And even for those who can watch, it’s just another weird notch in this series, and the vibes for this game are bound to take a hit.

As far as who is to blame for this time slot, ESPN is the main culprit. They have been pushing to have more and more games on Black Friday, and Florida’s game is going to be sandwiched between the Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs Mississippi State) and the Lone Star Showdown (Texas vs Texas A&M). Since the game is at FSU, the ACC also shared a decent amount of the blame.

It’s a shame because even though the past two years haven’t been must-see TV going into the game, they have been memorable for Gators fans. Two years ago, the Gators pulled away from FSU late and planted a flag at midfield, setting off a brawl. Last year, Jadan Baugh ran wild, preventing the Seminoles from qualifying for a bowl game for the second straight season. 

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