Last year, the Gators got the distinction of not having a single noon kickoff. It was a big bet by TV executives who were hoping DJ Lagway would lead Florida to a massive season and it was set up to be a fun year for fans.
Spoiler alert: It was not a fun year for Gator fans.
Coming off a 4-8 season, it was inevitable that Florida was going to get some early kickoffs in 2026, and now that all kickoff windows have been announced, the Gators did wind up with some, but the end result still isn’t too bad.
Florida kickoff times announced for 2026
Kickoff windows for the entire SEC were announced. While the “Flex” window has a wind range, the “Early” window almost guarantees a 12 PM kickoff. The following is what the Gators were given:
Sept. 5: Florida Atlantic — Gainesville, Fla. — SEC Network — 7:45 p.m.
Sept. 12: Campbell — Gainesville, Fla. — SECN+ — 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 19: at Auburn — Auburn, Ala. — ESPN — 7 p.m.
Sept. 26: Ole Miss — Gainesville, Fla. — TBA — Flex: 3:30-4:30 p.m. or 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 3: at Missouri — Columbia, Mo. — TBA — Flex: 3:30-4:30 p.m. or 6-8 p.m.
Oct. 10: South Carolina — Gainesville, Fla. — TBA — Early: 12-1 p.m.
Oct. 17: at Texas — Austin, Texas — TBA — Early: 12-1 p.m.
Oct. 31: vs. Georgia — Atlanta, Ga. — ABC — 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 7: Oklahoma — Gainesville, Fla. — TBA — Flex: 3:30-4:30 p.m. or 6-8 p.m.
Nov. 14: at Kentucky — Lexington, Ky. — TBA — Night: 6-8 p.m.
Nov. 21: Vanderbilt — Gainesville, Fla. — TBA — Early: 12-1 p.m.
Nov. 27: at Florida State — Tallahassee, Fla. — ABC — 3:30 p.m.
As a whole, Florida wound up with three “Early” kickoffs, two of which are at home. One could view those two “Early” kickoffs in one of two ways:
- If Florida had to have two noon kickoffs at home, South Carolina and Vanderbilt would be the two home games most would pick.
- The South Carolina and Vanderbilt games have a “Trap Game” feel all over them.
The good news is that Florida’s two most notable home games, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, will at least be 3:30 kickoff or later. On the flip side, Florida’s most notable road game, Texas, is also a noon kickoff. That didn’t actually matter much, though, two years ago when Florida had a noon kickoff in Austin and still got smashed.
The only truly annoying part of this schedule is that Kentucky is a guaranteed night game in November, which could lead to some interesting conditions.
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