Florida and Central Florida are set to finalize a three-game series for football, as first reported by the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi Monday.
The teams are to kickoff in 2024 and 2033 at UF and in 2030 at UCF in a two-for-one series.
UCF is a part of the American Athletic Conference and dominated the 2017 season, boasting an undefeated 13-0 record and a 34-27 Peach Bowl victory over the Auburn Tigers. The NCAA even recognized the Knights as National Champions alongside the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2017 record book.
Their perfect season completed a quick two-year turnaround; in 2015 they lost all 12 of their games.
Meanwhile, two hours north of Orlando, the Gators hold a winning record the past three years. Florida finished the 2020 season 8-4.
The last time the Gators and the Knights squared off was September 9, 2006. Florida demolished their in-state foe with a blowout 42-0 win.
New UCF head coach and former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is eager to tackle the Gators.
“I’ll play out in the parking lot,” Malzahn said in his introductory news conference. “Terry [Mohajir] can decide if we’re playing at home or on the road or a two-for-whatever. I just want to play them and beat them.”
The university’s look to close out the two-for-one deal in the near future.
Contact Karina Wilson at kwilson@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @kk_rinaa.
Karina Wilson is a second-year student at the University of Florida within the College of Journalism and Communications with a specialization in sports and media. She aims to produce engaging, accurate and current content for all types of sports fans. Currently, Karina is The Alligator's lacrosse beat writer.
