Florida's already tough SEC slate features a hidden quirk that makes it even tougher

Heading into the 2025 season, Florida is already having to contend with having one of the more difficult schedules in the country. The Gators have USF, Miami, and FSU in their non-conference slate and were not done any favors by the SEC with their slate of opponents. The 2025 season will feature all the same SEC opponents Florida played in 2024, with the home and away sites flipped.

As if that wasn't enough, there is another hidden reason why the 2025 schedule is going to be challenging for the Gators.

Florida will travel more than most in the SEC

Florida has five road games in 2025. The Gators will travel to LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. Florida will also be the designated away team during the annual matchup in Jacksonville against Georgia.

Even with an in-state road game and a neutral site game, the Gators will travel 6,170 miles round trip in 2025 to play football. That will be the third most miles traveled in the SEC.

Their average of 1,028 miles traveled round trip per game is the 4th most in the SEC.

If you want a perspective of how much the Gators will be in the air in 2025, Florida's longest trip will be the over 1,900-mile journey to College Station and back.

Georgia will be on the road for a total of 1,886 miles all season.

Now, it's not like Florida is flying Spirit Airlines to these games, so the wear and tear is mitigated. But between the time it takes to board and deboard the plane, on top of just physical time in the air, Florida is going to be going into multiple games this year having spent the bulk of the day on the road and not in their facility getting ready.