GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the fourth-consecutive season and the seventh time in the last-eight years, the Florida Gators football program is bowl bound.
Florida will take on UCF out of the American Athletic Conference in the United Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Thursday, December 23. Televised on ESPN, kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
This marks the Gators’ first-ever appearance in the Gasparilla Bowl, which began in 2008 with 2021 representing the 13th edition of the event. The last time Florida competed in a bowl game in its home state was in 2019, when the Orange & Blue defeated Virginia in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, 36-28.
Florida is making its 47th all-time bowl appearance, entering the matchup with an all-time record of 24-22 in previous bowl games. The Gators won three-straight bowl games from 2016-19 prior to dropping last year’s Cotton Bowl showdown against Oklahoma, 20-55. From 2018-20, Florida played in three-consecutive New Year’s Six bowls.
The Gators and Golden Knights have faced off twice in the history of the two programs, with Florida owning a 2-0 record in the series. The most-recent meeting came in the form of a 42-0 Florida victory in 2006, while the only other matchup in the series was in 1996, when the Gators prevailed, 58-27. This year’s meeting will be the first time Florida and UCF have met in postseason play, as each of the previous-two games took place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the regular season.
Beginning in 2024, Florida and UCF are set to begin a three-game, two-for-one series. The games will be played in 2024 (Gainesville), 2030 (Orlando, Fla.) and 2033 (Gainesville).
Tickets
The Gator Ticket Office is now accepting priority ticket requests through Dec. 7 and general ticket sales will begin on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. Visit FloridaGators.com/bowl</bowl> for details.
2022 Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2022 season are on sale now. Get details and explore available seats<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_sports_2017_1_6_football-2Dseason-2Dtickets.aspx&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=q92zajfdCNuU0ngH9BEgxwJa54tAmgJOnFRUpwAbZRAsrKtBjpvhzp6TiEUZFHdD&s=vGlHHD3ud1mZ3osO6s3J5ihMRqi10Hkae5JaMJ6dvQo&e= >. Have questions on season tickets? Complete this form<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__info.floridagators.com_FB22HQ-3Futm-5Fsource-3Demail-26utm-5Fmedium-3Dhyperlink-26utm-5Fcampaign-3Dtobowlannouncement&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=q92zajfdCNuU0ngH9BEgxwJa54tAmgJOnFRUpwAbZRAsrKtBjpvhzp6TiEUZFHdD&s=Epx-PunN2Ikb2ep2J3vF1SZpJjmWvyVUqZ3eG_BYT1g&e= > and a ticket sales representative will reach out shortly. Returning ticket holders can renew their seats from the 2021 season at FloridaGators.com/MyAccount</myaccount>.
Florida Bowl History
Bowl Site Date Opponent Result Score
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Jan. 1, 1953 Tulsa W 14-13
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 27, 1958 Ole Miss L 3-7
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 31, 1960 Baylor W 13-12
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 30, 1962 Penn State W 17-7
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 1, 1966 Missouri L 18-20
Orange Bowl Miami, Fla. Jan. 1, 1967 Georgia Tech W 27-12
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 27, 1969 Tennessee W 14-13
Tangerine Bowl Gainesville Dec. 22, 1973 Miami (Ohio) L 7-16
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Dec. 31, 1974 Nebraska L 10-13
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 29, 1975 Maryland L 0-13
Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas Jan. 2, 1977 Texas A&M L 14-37
Tangerine Bowl Orlando, Fla. Dec. 20, 1980 Maryland W 35-20
Peach Bowl Atlanta, Ga. Dec. 31, 1981 West Virginia L 6-26
Bluebonnet Bowl Houston, Texas Dec. 31, 1982 Arkansas L 24-28
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 30, 1983 Iowa W 14-6
Aloha Bowl Honolulu, Hawaii Dec. 25, 1987 UCLA L 16-20
All-American Bowl Birmingham, Ala. Dec. 29, 1988 Illinois W 14-10
Freedom Bowl Anaheim, Calif. Dec. 30, 1989 Washington L 7-34
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 1, 1992 Notre Dame L 28-39
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 31, 1992 N.C. State W 27-10
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 1, 1994 West Virginia W 41-7
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 2, 1995 Florida State L 17-23
Fiesta Bowl Tempe, Ariz. Jan. 2, 1996 Nebraska L 24-62
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 2, 1997 Florida State W 52-20
Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla. Jan. 1, 1998 Penn State W 21-6
Orange Bowl Miami, Fla. Jan. 2, 1999 Syracuse W 31-10
Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla. Jan. 1, 2000 Michigan State L 34-37
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 2, 2001 Miami (Fla.) L 20-37
Orange Bowl Miami, Fla. Jan. 2, 2002 Maryland W 56-23
Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 1, 2003 Michigan L 30-38
Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 1, 2004 Iowa L 17-37
Peach Bowl Atlanta, Ga. Dec. 31, 2004 Miami (Fla.) L 10-27
Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 2, 2006 Iowa W 31-24
BCS National Championship Glendale, Ariz. Jan. 8, 2007 Ohio State W 41-14
Capital One (Citrus) Bowl Orlando, Fla. Jan. 1, 2008 Michigan L 35-41
BCS National Championship Miami, Fla. Jan. 8, 2009 Oklahoma W 24-14
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 1, 2010 Cincinnati W 51-24
Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 1, 2011 Penn State W 37-24
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Jan. 2, 2012 Ohio State W 24-17
Sugar Bowl New Orleans, La. Jan. 2, 2013 Louisville L 23-33
Birmingham Bowl Birmingham, Ala. Jan. 3, 2015 East Carolina W 28-20
Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla. Jan. 1, 2016 Michigan L 7-41
Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 2, 2017 Iowa W 30-3
Peach Bowl Atlanta, Ga. Dec. 29, 2018 Michigan W 41-15
Orange Bowl Miami, Fla. Dec. 30, 2019 Virginia W 36-28
Cotton Bowl Arlington, Tex. Dec. 30, 2020 Oklahoma L 20-55