Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin is going public with his attempts to upgrade the team’s future nonconference schedules.
Stricklin on Tuesday wrote on Twitter that Florida is seeking additional home-and-home series with Power 5 conference opponents. He addressed the message to athletic directors from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12, inviting them to “connect and schedule quality games the fans want to see!”
Florida has recently added home-and-home series with Miami, Texas, Utah and Colorado. The Gators opened the 2019 season against Miami in Orlando. Florida hasn’t played a true nonconference road game outside the state since visiting Syracuse in 1991. The Gators play annually against in-state rival Florida State in Gainesville or Tallahassee. Florida State and Florida, which have played annually since 1958, are contracted to play through the 2022 season.
Attention ADs from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12 … @GatorsFB is looking to add additional Home-and-Home series against P5 opponents. Let’s connect and schedule quality games the fans want to see! #GoGators
— Scott Stricklin (@ScottStricklin) October 22, 2019
Coach Dan Mullen recently raised concerns about the SEC’s schedule model, which rarely pairs certain cross-division opponents. He also said nonconference teams “aren’t jumping up and down to play us. We’re calling Power 5 teams, trying to get more games, and it’s not like, ‘Hey, everybody we call can’t wait to come play Florida.’ That’s not always an easy deal.”
UCF expressed interest in scheduling a home-and-home series or a neutral-site game with Florida, which would agree to only a two-for-one agreement — two games in Gainesville, one in Orlando — because UCF is not in a Power 5 conference. The schools did not reach an agreement.