The Florida Gators will kick off for the third time this season in Gainesville.
Before you head to the Swamp to see the Gators take on the Colorado State Rams, read up on what to expect in and around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Traffic
West University Avenue will close between Gale Lemerand Drive and Northwest 17th St. three hours before kickoff at 4 p.m. and stay closed two hours after the game ends.
Weather
It will be partly or mostly cloudy throughout the afternoon with isolated thunderstorms an hour after kickoff, according to The Weather Channel. Temperatures in Gainesville will range during the day from the high 80s to low 90s.
Who will be at the game
The University Athletic Association will give free tickets for the game to families evacuating from Hurricane Florence in North and South Carolina. Residents of counties under mandatory evacuation, who have a valid, state-issued ID from North or South Carolina, will be able to claim up to four tickets between noon and 2:30 p.m. at the season ticket holder representative tent outside Gate 2 at the stadium.
All fifth graders in Alachua County Public Schools will get to go to the game. The UAA is giving out tickets to 1,500 students from 23 schools as well as 300 chaperones and bus drivers, according to a press release.
What to listen for
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T.” The Florida marching band will play the famous Aretha Franklin song in honor of the late singer. The band will use an app developed by alumni, which turns halftime show drills into an animated picture of shapes and patterns that band members can click on during practice to see how they’re moving around the field.
Sports coverage
This will be the third game that redshirt senior R.J. Raymond will play on scholarship. His journey to get to this position was anything but ordinary. Check out our feature on Raymond’s unusual story.
The quarterback position has been a big question mark heading into the season, and our alligatorSports columnists have wildly differing views on it as well. Hear the arguments both for and against Feleipe Franks.
If you aren’t in the Swamp, watch the game on SEC Network. For more coverage of the game, follow @alligatorSports on Twitter.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks went 16-for-24 for 219 yards and five touchdowns in the first half against Charleston Southern before being subbed out for the second half.
