Florida vs. South Florida clash in Tampa moved up as part of three-game series

By Drew Laing
December 13, 2018
Florida vs. South Florida clash in Tampa moved up as part of three-game series
Football

Image Credit: ESPNI

The first matchup of a three-game series between the Florida Gators and the South Florida Bulls will now happen a bit sooner than anticipated. The Gators on Thursday morning announced that the game to be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, will now be played during the 2021 season. Originally, the Tampa game was scheduled for the 2023 season.

With the first game set for 2021, the Bulls will make trips to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville during the 2022 and 2025 seasons.

USF athletic director Michael Smith praised UF for its flexibility and willingness to make this schedule adjustment.

“The University of Florida has been great working with us on this series and we appreciate being able to make adjustments that work best for both programs,” Kelly said. “We are excited to get the Gators in Tampa two years earlier than originally scheduled and to add to our 2021 non-conference schedule that also includes games at N.C. State and BYU.”

Florida added a not-so subtle jab at UCF in its relesae, alluding to the Gators’ willingness to play in-state schools. Recently, Florida has been the subject of criticism by ill-informed UCF fans claiming UF influenced the bowl matchups in order to avoid playing UCF.

“This series is another example of the University of Florida’s history to play in-state schools in its recent past. Over the past 15 years, Florida has played Florida State, Miami, UCF, USF, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic and Florida International,” UF’s release read.

In Florida’s lone matchup against South Florida, the Gators defeated the Bulls by a score of 38-14 in 2010 at The Swamp.

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