Florida snapped a two-game losing streak to Florida State with its win last season. Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Gators' Rivalry with FSU 'Not Going Away,' Per Napier

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI | By Cam Parker | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 2:52 PM ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators' annual in-state battle with Florida State is not going anywhere anytime soon, according to head coach Billy Napier.

With the SEC moving to a nine-game schedule in 2026, Florida's non-conference schedule is set to be altered moving forward. With the new schedule comes a requirement from the league that teams face at least one Power 4 (or Notre Dame) opponent in its three-game non-conference schedule.

FSU meets this requirement for Florida.

“That game is historical in relevance and certainly it’s not going away," Napier said during Wednesday's SEC Teleconference. "Not only would our people not let that happen, but I know their administration, their alumni, their fanbase would feel the same way."

Napier added that it would not matter how many games the SEC adds to the conference schedule, the rivalry between the two programs is far too historical to take off the schedule.

"I mean we’re going to play that game regardless. If they told us we had 11 conference games we would still play Florida - Florida State," he said. "It’s one of the, If not the greatest, one of the greatest rivalries of all time and a pretty special opportunity for both teams each year.”

The nine-game schedule has been a hot topic since the SEC expanded following the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma to the league ahead of the 2024 season. With it, Florida will have three permanent opponents and will play the other 12 conference foes both home and away in a four-year span.

The league has not yet announced each school's permanent opponents and rotational opponents. Florida's annual neutral site matchup against Georgia is almost guaranteed to be one of the Gators' permanent opponents with the two schools agreeing to keep the rivalry away from their respective campuses until at least 2031.

Napier believes the decision is a direct result of revenue share going into effect this offseason throughout the NCAA.

"Yeah, I think, look our game continues to evolve," he said Monday. "There's a demand for revenue. Now that you have the burden of the rev-share from a budgetary standpoint, you've got to do some things to create more revenue.

The fourth-year head coach added that there's an "appetite for it with fans" as the game continues to be more popular and that there's "positives and negatives" that come from the decision.

"But I do think in general, I have no control over it," he said Monday. "So we'll show up and play whoever they put out there."

The Gators begin the 2025 season on Saturday at home against Long Island. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with streaming coverage on SEC Network+.

This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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