UF FB: Gators Headed to Gasparilla Bowl for Battle of Florida with UCF

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