Examining the Florida Gators 2021 Schedule, Game-By-Game
Updated: Feb 12, 2021
The Florida Gators, in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference, have officially announced the dates and full schedule for the Gators 2021 football season. After a year with 10 All-SEC games, tune-up’s and cupcakes will be a little bit of a disappointment. However, seeing them back on the schedule also means things are getting back to normal after a year in which nothing was.
The Gators will play every SEC East team and LSU, as normal. The cross-over SEC West opponent this year is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Florida will get to stay at home or close there to, playing the first four games in the Sunshine State.
The full schedule is as follows:
September 4 vs. Florida Atlantic—Gainesville
Sept. 11 at South Florida—Tampa
Sept. 18 vs. Alabama—Gainesville
Sept. 25 vs. Tennessee—Gainesville
October 2 at Kentucky—Lexington, Kentucky
Oct. 9 vs. Vanderbilt—Gainesville (Homecoming)
Oct. 16 at LSU—Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Oct. 23 BYE
Oct. 30 vs. Georgia—Jacksonville, Florida
November 6 at South Carolina—Columbia, South Carolina
Nov. 13 vs Samford—Gainesville
Nov. 20 at Missouri—Columbia, Missouri
Nov. 27 vs. Florida State—Gainesville
Where are the wins? Where are the losses? Where are the question marks? And what do we make of the Alabama game?
Let’s break down the entire schedule.
Week 1 and 2—FAU and South Florida
The Gators should open 2-0 fairly easily. While you never want to overlook an opponent, the FAU Owls aren’t being coached by Lane Kiffin any longer and the USF Bulls outran their shot at glory a couple of years ago. Yes, the Gators will have to travel to face the Bulls, but it’s only a short trip to Tampa in which case pure strength and speed should outrun the green and gold. Of course, that is dependent on the Florida defense being even a modicum stronger than they were in 2020. That should be the case however, after a full offseason of workouts—something that wasn’t the case in 2020.
Week 3—Alabama
Perhaps the biggest break the Gators received on their schedule was Alabama being placed early. The rotation of the schedule meant they knew this one would be at home, but the Crimson Tide in late November on their way to another inevitable College Football Playoff run is much different than the Crimson Tide in early September.
Nick Saban’s squad will always get strong, they’ll always become a rolling freight train and make a run, they’ll always find their footing and break some record or another despite how they start. But at that point in the schedule, new Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien (back in college after six years in the NFL) and second year quarterback Bryce Young will presumably still be in the young stages, figuring out each other and the college game.
The past few years have also shown a trend of Alabama defense’s starting the first quarter of the season slow, before greasing the wheels enough to run over everyone.
While Florida will be starting a lot of new offensive players as well, Emory Jones has significant experience at quarterback, Billy Gonzales has proved there’s no drop-off at receiver and the running back unit returns three massive contributors while adding two former five-stars. On defense, the front seven looks largely the same.
Dan Mullen has also made sure to turn this games into a focal point, whipping fans and players into a frenzy that can’t be stopped. See: 2018 LSU and 2019 Auburn.
Of course, this is Alabama. Bryce Young was a five-star and the No. 1 duel-threat QB in the nation. No Saban defense can ever be counted out. But if you’re going to draw the Tide, you want them in Week 3.
Week 4—Tennessee
Week 5—Kentucky
The Wildcats have become a relatively tough draw the past few years. And notoriously, the last time the Gators played in Lexington, the Kyle Trask legend was born—partly because Florida was down by 19 points and needed a comeback after Feleipe Franks was hurt.
While Kentucky is replacing a large portion of their offensive side of the ball, the new offensive coordinator is a branch off the Sean McVay coaching tree and the quarterback competition between Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen will be intriguing. The Wildcats will have to replace starting corners who helped Kentucky become a turnover machine in 2020.
Florida should win this game on talent alone, looking to start another streak over the Wildcats. But Mark Stoops has made sure this is a tough game no matter what and that will be the case again in 2021.
Week 6—Vanderbilt (Homecoming)
The Commodores are replacing an entire staff and pinning most of their hopes on an admittedly talented young quarterback. It won’t be enough.
Week 7—LSU
The Tigers weren’t and aren’t the same team that won a National Championship after the 2019 season. They proved that last year. They also embarrassed the Gators last year. That’s something one doesn’t forget and something that has proven to fuel this rivalry.
Myles Brennan will have another year of growth under his belt, and no LSU team should ever be counted out in Death Valley. But as mentioned, the embarrassment from last season and the shoe toss heard round the world will play a factor in this game.
Week 8—Bye
Florida should be ok this week. But you never know.
Week 9—Georgia
Ey, ey, ey. Once again, the season will swing on the Georgia game. What do the Bulldogs look like with J.T. Daniels (presumably) firmly at the helm? Can Kirby Smart make it a full offseason without losing a wave of 5-star talent to the transfer portal?
The Bulldogs rank 92nd in returning production according to Bill Connelly of ESPN. A large reason is because Daniels isn’t counted as returning production since he wasn't a full-time starter last year. But the drop-off for Smart's squad is on defense. A litany of starters have left for the NFL, meaning the red and black will replace a large portion of their secondary.
It’s too early to make a prediction on this game, because there’s so much unknown about Georgia…except for they’re continually going to be flirting with the Top 10 and even Top 5. The same could be said for the Gators right now, meaning yet again, this game will determine the SEC East.
Week 10—South Carolina
Again, another team replacing a large portion of the coaching staff and star playmakers. Letting Will Muschamp go was inevitable…but replacing Shi Smith at receiver and Jaycee Horn at corner will be harder than most Gamecock fans want to admit. South Carolina hired up with Shane Beamer. The former Oklahoma Sooners assistant could have had his pick of schools, but he wanted to return to a place where he'd made great memories, coaching under Steve Spurrier in Columbia from 2007-2010.
Beamer will have the Gamecocks contending...the question is just how soon. It likely won't be in his first year, but they’ll be a team to watch as the game draws closer.
Week 11—Samford
This is the return of the cupcake game in Week 11. They're famous in the SEC. Samford is a small Baptist college in Birmingham. This isn't a slight to Samford. Both of my parents and several aunts and uncles are all graduates of their fine institution. But expect a lot of freshman in this game by second half.
Week 12—Missouri
The Tigers showed marked improvement under Eli Drinkwitz in his first season at the helm. Mizzou went 5-5 in an all conference schedule, with impressive wins over LSU, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Yes, those were three down teams in 2020. But Missouri was supposed to be a down team as well. They weren’t. This is a late November game in what will most assuredly be a chilly Missouri. It’s one to keep an eye on as the Gators close out the SEC East schedule.
Week 13—Florida State
Last season was the first in decades that Florida and FSU didn’t play. That was probably good for the Seminoles who experienced one of their worst seasons ever, even with a win over then No. 5 North Carolina. The Noles went 3-6 with three games effectively cancelled. Even with the skid the Gators took at the end of the season, what would that game have looked like? It wouldn’t have been pretty for FSU.
The schedule won’t change either, even with the Noles losing the 2020 game due to COVID-19 schedule changes. This one will be back in Gainesville, to the Gators favor. Much like Tennessee, until the Noles prove otherwise, this rivalry is currently in the Gators favor.
All in all, the Gators will have another tough schedule, as any year in the SEC is, but one that does favor them more often than not. Their schedule swing on two games: Alabama and Georgia. They’ll most likely split them and then drop another against a team that will inevitably get hot and catch them by surprise. Vegas puts the Gators win total at 9.5 and if I were a betting woman, I’d take the over.
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