Sunshine Showdown moving to Friday is a chance to rewrite history

For just the third time in its storied history, the Sunshine Showdown will take place not in the sun, but on a Friday night under the lights at Doak Campbell Stadium. The ACC and two schools announced on Monday that the annual matchup between the University of Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles football teams will take place on Friday, November 27th. While the official kickoff time has yet to be announced, it has been stated that it will be a night game.

So save those Black Friday shopping deals for super Saturday or Cyber Monday, because tailgating in Tallahassee will be taking its place. 

Florida and Florida State moves to Black Friday

As mentioned, this will be the third Friday night meeting between the two in-state rivals and the second of this decade. And for the Gators, the first two Friday meetings don’t bring up good memories and they will hope that under Jon Sumrall’s regime, that it is not dejavu for the team in blue and orange.

The two schools first met on a Friday in 1979 with the Seminoles defeating the Gators 27-16 at Doak Campbell Stadium, along with in 2022 when FSU just topped the Gators 45-38. So the Seminoles do hold a 2-0 record against the Gators. The kids from The Swamp will look to re-write that stat come November 27.

Looking beyond Fridays, Florida has won five of the last seven meetings against Florida State, including this past season when the Gators beat FSU 40-21 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in that game that put Jadan Baugh in the history books. The sophomore ran for 266 yards, the second-most rushing yards in school history, and two touchdowns in that win.

Overall through 69 meetings, the Gators hold a 39-28-2 record over Florida State. It remains one of the most storied rivalries in not just college football, but in all of sports, and this year is set to be no different. The Gators come in with a new coaching staff, but fans who are just as rowdy and who you can expect to travel up to Tallahassee over their Thanksgiving break.

Though neither school had a winning record in 2025, it’s still one of the hottest rivalries that means something beyond the football field.

Florida. FSU. The state on the line.