![Florida head coach Jon Sumrall talks on the sideline during 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_0,w_2698,h_1517/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kqd5tzpmr5jwtsf88a.jpg "Florida head coach Jon Sumrall talks on the sideline during spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
To this point, most Gator fans have been pretty happy with the job that Jon Sumrall has done. Recruiting is pushing towards a top-five class, energy around the building feels high, and it seems like the Gators have a genuine plan for success heading into the 2026 season.
Sumrall also hasn’t coached an actual game in Orange and Blue just yet, and so all these good feelings are mainly based on hope. Florida’s schedule doesn’t start off too badly in 2026, and if some things break right, the Gators could be 4-2 or even 5-1, and it wouldn’t be that crazy.
But there is a looming three-game stretch in the middle of the season that may just be the genuine sink-or-swim moment for Sumrall during his maiden voyage with the Gators.
Florida’s 2026 schedule features a tough three-game stretch
CBS Sports just dropped their “Post Spring Top 25” and the Gators snuck in at No. 23. Call it the Sumrall bump or just a logo bump, but considering Florida never finished ranked under Billy Napier, it is an improvement compared to where things have been.
.@bmarcello’s post-spring Top 25 just dropped 🚨
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) April 29, 2026
Who should be higher?
Full breakdown: https://t.co/0yJFOMWwxG pic.twitter.com/iWImONHLKf
But these same rankings also have Ole Miss at No. 13 and Missouri at No. 20. Florida will see those two in back-to-back weeks in weeks four and five before taking on South Carolina in week six.
Let’s just say if things go right, that Florida is able to start 3-0 after it gets past Auburn, splits between Ole Miss and Missouri, and then takes care of South Carolina. The Gators would be sitting at 5-1, and dreams of a playoff bid would be alive and well.
But then Florida has to take on Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma in a row.
Those three come in at No. 1, No. 4, and No. 10, respectively, in the CBS rankings.
Welcome to the SEC.
We would make the case that Sumrall needs to find a way to knock off at least one of those three. Even Billy Napier figured out a way to beat Texas last year. But let’s just pretend that Florida starts 4-2 on the season and then loses these three.
Florida would be sitting at 4-5 and would need to go 2-1 against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and FSU, all of whom were not ranked by CBS, just to make a bowl.
It’s just a reminder that while Florida’s schedule isn’t quite as unrelenting as it was the past couple of years, there is no escaping having to play good teams when in the SEC.
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