Florida Gators could kick off 2023 season on a Thursday night
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators could open the 2023 football season on a Thursday night. It would be the first regular-season midweek appearance by the Gators in 31 years.
The news was first reported by Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Utah Utes released their schedule on Wednesday afternoon and the game was listed as either Thursday, August 31, or Saturday, September 2. The game contract allowed for the schools to stage the game on either Thursday or Saturday. When the game was first announced it was slotted for September 2, but the Pac-12 television network will have a say in when the game is played.
It should also be noted that the SEC released its full schedule on Wednesday, and the game was only listed as being played on September 2, while Florida’s official website has the game listed as either Thursday or Saturday.
The 2023 game will complete a contract with the Utes that paid each $500,000 the year of their visit. Before 2022, the schools met only once, a 38-29 Florida home win in 1977. The Aug. 31 game will complete a two-year deal between the schools.
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Florida and Utah played a classic in Gainesville to kick off the 2022 football season. The No. 7 rated Utes were a double-digit favorite on the road. Anthony Richardson threw for 168 yards and rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Amari Burney’s interception in the end zone with just 20 seconds left in the game sealed a 29-26 win for Florida.
Future non-conference games vs P5
2024: Miami, UCF, at FSU
2025: at Miami, FSU
2026: at N.C. State, Cal, at FSU
2027: at Cal, FSU
2028: Colorado, at Arizona State, at FSU
2029: at Colorado, FSU
2030: at UCF, at FSU (a home-and-home was scheduled this year with Texas but the Longhorns will join the conference in 2024)
2031: Arizona State, at Notre Dame, FSU (a home-and-home was scheduled this year with Texas but the Longhorns will join the conference in 2024)
2032: Notre Dame, N.C. State, at FSU
Gators 2023 schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 or Sep 2 | Utah Utes | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Sep 9 | McNeese State Cowboys | Gainesville |
| Sep 16 | Tennessee Volunteers | Gainesville |
| Sep 23 | Charlotte 49ers | Gainesville |
| Sep 30 | Kentucky Wildcats | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Oct 7 | Vanderbilt Commodores | Gainesville |
| Oct 14 | South Carolina Gamecocks | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Oct 28 | Georgia Bulldogs | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Nov 4 | Arkansas Razorbacks | Gainesville |
| Nov 11 | LSU Tigers | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Nov 18 | Missouri Tigers | Columbia, Missouri |
| Nov 25 | Florida State Seminoles | Gainesville |
