The Florida Gators are dropping the Florida A&M Rattlers from the 2025 schedule and will instead face the Long Island University Sharks to open next season, according to a report from Swamp247.
It is the first matchup between these two teams. Long Island is currently 4-8 overall with a 3-3 record against the Northeast Conference (FCS). The Sharks are 0-3 against Power Four opponents since 2019 when it unified its two campuses into a Division I athletic program. The TCU Horned Frogs hosted the Sharks this year, winning 45-0. Baylor (30-7; 2023) and West Virginia (66-0, 2021) have also played LIU in recent years.
Florida’s 2025 opponents are now settled with a complete schedule to be released after the 2024 season ends. The SEC announced Georgia (Jacksonville), Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas as UF’s conference home games for 2025, and Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M as road games.
The Gators will face USF at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Week 2 and play the second half of a home-and-home against the Miami Hurricanes in Miami Gardens after a bye week. The annual Florida State game during rivalry week remains on the schedule for Nov. 29, 2025.
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