Who Could Replace Cal and NC State on Florida Gators 2026 Schedule?

With the Florida Gators down to games on the 2026 slate, there's an opportunity to schedule some fun, unique matchups

There are a few unique ways the re-scheduling of the Florida Gators 2026 schedule could go / Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida Gators have recently seen two notable out-of-conference matchups for 2026 get scratched off the schedule. 

Originally, they were scheduled to play NC State on Sept. 5 and Cal on Sept. 19. Then, the Cal matchups were nixed in July and the NC State series was canceled last week. 

Now, the Gators have their usual SEC games plus FSU and FSU Campbell. That’s it. Under the current format, that’s 10 games with two left to be scheduled. 

Let’s look at some potential options that could make sense for 2026. 

Another SEC School 

While the SEC currently plays an eight-game conference schedule and will again in 2025, this could change by 2026. If the conference goes to nine games, then that takes care of one of those open spots. 

Conference expansion and realignment are factors for these changes, even if it's not a public reason. When Florida scheduled Cal, it was a matchup with a Pac-12 school. NC State played in a smaller ACC. They didn’t know Cal was going to join them at the time, among others. 

They need to figure out the situations in their own conferences along with Florida, at least in the short term. Other games down the road are a problem for another time if they’re a problem at all. 

If the SEC expands to nine teams, somebody has to go anyway. Might as well just go ahead and nix the games and figure it out. 

Solutions Out West?

Expansion of conference play or not, they need one more team to play in two years. Here’s the outlook right now. Some names included aren’t confirmed, but it would be highly unlikely they aren’t on the schedule. 

1. Campbell
2. SEC 
3. SEC
4. Tennessee 
5. SEC
6. SEC
7. LSU
8. Georgia 
9. SEC
10. SEC or OPEN
11. OPEN
12. FSU

A lot of schools already have their 2026 schedules locked down, so finding an opponent wouldn’t be easy in theory. 

But then again, there’s some realignment happening out west that could open up some scheduling opportunities. The rebuilding Pac-12 and its incoming members need to get their schedules in order. 

Florida could schedule Oregon State or Washington State. They wouldn’t schedule both even if they needed two spots to fill. Gators fans might prefer the latter after the beating the Beavers gave the Gators in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Florida has played Colorado State before, that could be an option too, but the point is these Pac-12 schools are all potential options. 

The Mountain West schools will need to figure out their schedules because they’re losing schools to the Pac-12. There’s a chance to schedule a game against the Gators too. Scheduling Air Force, for example, could be fun. They played each other once in 1968. 

The Gators don't play a lot of western schools in general. There’s an opportunity for a lot of new matchups because of this change in schedule.