Five fun facts about Florida Football ahead of opener against Miami
![Florida Gators offensive lineman Jake Slaughter (66) holds up Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) after a touchdown during the second half at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 7, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4646,h_2613,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F213%2F01j67rdfd0p5ymfcm3cj.jpg "Florida Gators offensive lineman Jake Slaughter (66) holds up Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) after a touchdown during the second half at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 7, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
Football season is officially back, and the Florida Gators are opening their 2024 campaign against Miami in The Swamp at 3:30. Given that Florida normally plays cupcakes at home to open the season, there are some weird distinctions for this game.
Florida released its pregame notes today, and the following are five fun facts about the Gators ahead of their opener against Miami.
Home Sweet Home
Florida has a 33-game win streak in home openers, the longest active streak in the NCAA. The last time they lost a home opener was in 1989 against Ole Miss.
Season Opener Dominance
Since 1990, the Gators have only lost two season openers. Florida lost to Michigan in 2017 in a game played in Arlington, TX and lost last year to Utah on the road.
The Swamp Advantage
In addition to winning 33 straight home openers, the Gators have an all-time record of 87-30 in season openers played in Gainesville.
Facing the Hurricanes
Once upon a time, Florida and Miami played annually, but that stopped after 1987 due to conference expansion, which made it difficult to squeeze the game in (sound familiar). This will be the 8th matchup between the two since 1987. Overall, this year's matchup marks the 57th meeting between the two teams, with Miami holding a slight edge at 29-27.
A Historic Underdog
Florida is entering the season opener as underdogs at home for only the second time since 1970. Current odds have the Gators as a 2.5-point underdog and are listed at +110 to win outright. Coincidentally, the only other time Florida was listed as an underdog in its home opener was in 2022, when it was also a 2.5-point underdog against Utah.
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