GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ The Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes have scheduled a home-and-home series for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, more than 20 years since the two schools last met during back-to-back regular seasons.
The last time the two longtime rivals scheduled a home-and-home series, Steve Spurrier was on the UF sideline and Miami was entering the final years of one of the greatest runs in college football. The Gators will host the Hurricanes in the Swamp in 2024 before heading to South Florida in 2025.
News of the series confirms a report earlier this week by the Orlando Sentinel and comes one week before the Gators and Hurricanes square off for the first time since 2013. Next Saturday's match at 7 p.m. in Orlando's Camping World Stadium will kick off the 150th season of college football and be the only game played in the continental U.S. (Arizona also will visit Hawaii.)
The Gators' nonconference schedules have been lagging of late, with UF facing two FCS schools in 2018 and also this upcoming season. The 2020 schedule features visits from with Eastern Washington, South Alabama and New Mexico State.
But recently UF athletics director Scott Stricklin aggressively upgraded future matchups. UF's 2025 non-SEC slate will include Miami, USF and Florida State. The Gators have future home-and-home series with Colorado (2028, 2029) and Texas (2030, 2031).
A source said UF also is working on scheduling a high-profile, neutral-site game with an opponent from out West to be staged in the not-too-distant future.
The Hurricanes, however, are more natural rivals with a shared history with the Gators. The schools played every season from 1938 to 1987 other than during World War II.
But next weekend's game will be just the third regular-season meeting since 2003. Miami holds a 29-26 edge in the series, having won seven of the past eight meetings, including a 21-16 victory in 2013. Ranked No. 8 in the preseason coaches poll and coming off a 10-3 season, the Gators are seven-point favorites entering the opener against Miami.
