Image Credit: Michael Nash

The wrong kind of history keeps being made by the Florida Gators in 2025 with Saturday standing as an opportunity to prevent another mark from being made against the program as Florida seeks to avoid its first season with fewer than four wins since 1979. The Florida State Seminoles are similarly on a downward trajectory, but with their coach returning next season, perhaps they have more motivation despite being on the road at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

Amid a coaching search that appears to have gone off the rails, the Gators are focused on sending the seniors out with a bang while playing together one final time with a bevy of transfers expected in the offseason. This as Florida aims to avoid losing to Florida State and Tennessee at home in the same season for the first time since 2003.

Sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway has shown improvement at times, and sophomore running back Jadan Baugh has remained the engine of the offense. It will almost certainly be up to the Gators defense to show pride and gumption to pull off the victory.

What will go down Saturday night in The Swamp? Let’s take a closer look with this game day preview.

Florida vs. Florida State: Tale of the tape

Florida GatorsFlorida State SeminolesHead coachBilly Gonzales (0-4)Mike NorvellRecord3-8 (2-6)5-6 (2-6)ConferenceSECSEC

Injuries & absences

Questionable (7): CB Cormani McClain, RB Ja’Kobi Jackson, DB Bryce Thornton, DB Javion Toombs, DB Micheal Caraway Jr., OL Roderick Kearney, LB Ty Jackson
Out (5): DL George Gumbs Jr., DL LJ McCray, LB Grayson Howard, WR Kahleil Jackson, OL Fletcher Westphal
Out for season (4): WR Eugene Wilson III (ankle), WR Dallas Wilson (foot), CB Dijon Johnson (knee), DB Aaron Gates (shoulder)
Opted out of season (1): WR Tank Hawkins

Where to watch Florida vs. Florida State

Date: Saturday, Nov. 29 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — Gainesville, Florida [88,548]

TV: ESPN2 (Jay Alter, Rocky Boian, Marilyn Payne)
Stream: ESPN app | SiriusXM: 84 | Radio: WRUF, TuneIn
Live updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter

Florida vs. Florida State game notes

» Florida is 38-28-2 all-time against Florida State with a 22-3-1 record in The Swamp … the Gators have won four of the last six meetings and consecutive games as unranked opponents.
» UF has not lost to Tennessee and Florida State at home in the same season since 2003. It has never lost to UT and FSU at home while also being defeated by Georgia in the same season.
» Interim coaches at Florida are 14-13 all-time and 3-5 against ranked opponents.
» The Gators entered the 2025 season with the toughest schedule in the nation for the second straight year. UF’s 2024 slate was the most difficult in college football history at the start of the campaign, and its 2025 slate is set to be declared the most difficult at the conclusion of the year, too.
» The Gators this season played four straight top 10 teams for the first time in program history, going 1-3 in those games. No other FBS program has faced such a stretch since 1968.
» The defense has forced turnovers in 21 of the last 23 games with multiple takeaways in 15 of those contests. A 12-game takeaway streak came to an end in Week 4.
» Florida has given up 21+ points in eight consecutive games after holding opponents to 20 points or fewer in seven straight games.
» Florida is 18-7 at home, 4-14 on the road and 1-5 in neutral-site games since the start of Napier’s tenure (5-19 away from home). It has a 4-19 mark in its last 23 true road games dating back to the prior regime. UF went 0-6 away from home this season.
» The Gators since Napier took over are 19-3 when leading after the third quarter, 18-7 when leading at halftime, 18-8 when scoring first and 18-5 when rushing for at least 150 yards. However, UF is 3-20 since Napier was hired when opponents score first, 1-19 when scoring less than 21 points, 7-25 when allowing 21+ points, 4-20 when tied or trailing at halftime, 3-24 when tied or trailing after the third quarter and 4-20 when being outrushed.
» Florida is 5-20 against AP Top 25 teams since the start of Napier’s tenure, 4-15 over the last three seasons. That drought extends to 11-28 against ranked opponents (2-13 vs. top five teams, 7-17 vs. top 10 teams) since 2018. In that same span, the Gators are 42-15 against unranked opponents.
» The Gators have scored in 472 consecutive games, an NCAA record.

Florida vs. Florida State prediction, analysis

Spread: Florida -1.5 | O/U: 49.5

Florida played so poorly against Tennessee and Kentucky — after competing for 60 minutes each against Georgia and Ole Miss — that it’s impossible to know what to expect from UF in any game. Florida State, though, has lost six of its last eight games, and it is 0-4 on the road this season. The Seminoles are away from home, while the Gators are the “healthiest” they have been in months despite remaining without multiple stars. The Swamp is (somehow) sold out, and UF should have enough to avoid its worst individual season since 1979, with a lean toward the under.

2025 record: 5-6 ATS, 7-4 O/U

Odds & ends

» Uniforms: Florida will wear its traditional orange helmets with blue jerseys and blue pants.