​College football’s bowl season is still five months away, while the start of the 2026 campaign sits seven weeks out. Nevertheless, Athlon Sports has rolled out its early predictions for the postseason slate this winter. In its comprehensive forecast, senior editor Steven Lassan projects all 41 games and includes the Florida Gators, who missed bowl eligibility last season and also did not reach the postseason in two of the last three years. Lassan envisions Florida meeting the Penn State Nittany Lions in the ReliaQuest Bowl, set for New Year’s Eve at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Florida has never played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, though it did appear in the game’s predecessor, the Outback Bowl, five times since 2002. The Gators’ appearances in the in-state showdown came during two coaching tenures: Ron Zook led Florida in 2002 and 2003, Urban Meyer guided the team in 2005 and 2010, and Jim McElwain added a 2016 appearance to the list. The Florida programs’ connections to the Tampa Bay area run deep, though the ReliaQuest Bowl would mark a new chapter for the Gators in this particular game.
Penn State, for its part, has faced Florida three times across postseason history, with Florida prevailing on all three occasions. The first meeting occurred in 1962, when the Gators beat the Nittany Lions 17-7 in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. At that time, Penn State was an independent and finished the regular season 9-1, while Florida stood at 6-4 and was eager to test itself in a bowl matchup. In a bid to influence the outcome, Florida sparked controversy by placing the Confederate battle flag on its helmets, a decision that reportedly unsettled the Nittany Lions and the rest of the national audience.
The series history continued with a Citrus Bowl clash in 1997, featuring Steve Spurrier steering Florida. The Gators prevailed that day as part of Spurrier’s tenure. A third meeting followed in the 2010 Outback Bowl, under Urban Meyer, with Florida again securing a victory, 37-24, after a 21-6 win in the 2010 game and a 21-6 win in the 1997 Citrus Bowl.
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This feature originally appeared on Gators Wire as Florida football’s projected bowl game and opponent for the 2026 postseason, designed to contribute to SEO efforts while outlining a broad landscape of potential outcomes.