Florida Football: An All Too Early Look at the 2012 Schedule

Expansion is becoming rampant in college football. The SEC expanded to 12 teams in 1991 and became the first conference to host an annual conference championship game pitting the East against the West. 

For the first time since 1991, the SEC will again open its doors and bring in two new members, Missouri and Texas A&M. Both schools were unanimously voted into the conference by the SEC presidents and chancellors and will begin SEC play in all sports next academic calendar year. 

With new teams being injected into a conference for the first time in 21 years, it is bound to shake up the schedule, which can become somewhat predictable. 

The SEC was set to announce the schedule "some time after Christmas," but as many things work nowadays, the schedule has leaked, allowing us to take an all too early look at who the Gators will face and how they will fare next season.  

Bowling Green

Date: Sat. September 9, 2012  

Coming off of a 5-7 season, Bowling Green will travel to Gainesville to open the 2012 season. 

Bowling Green should not be much of a challenge and will allow the Gators to prepare for the SEC schedule that will start a week earlier than in seasons past. 

The Gators will likely be a large favorite in this game and coast their way through the home opener on the way into their first SEC game of the year. 

@ Texas A&M

Date: Sat. September 8, 2012

Florida will welcome the Aggies into the SEC next season as the Aggies welcome the Gators to Kyle Field, home of the 12th man.

This will be the first time that the Gators do not begin their SEC schedule with Tennessee since 1996. There was the game in 2001 that was moved because of the attacks on September 11th, but since 1996, Florida has begun their SEC schedule with Tennessee. 

Texas A&M did not have the successful season that they had hoped prior to making the conference jump and will enter the SEC with a new head coach, Kevin Sumlin. 

@ Tennessee

Date: Sat. September 15, 2012

Florida will travel up to Rocky Top to begin SEC East play. The Gators lead the series 22-19 and have won the last seven meetings between the two teams. 

Kentucky

Date: Sat. September 22, 2012

The Wildcats travel to Gainesville to try and break a streak of 25 consecutive losses to the Gators. The Gators current winning streak over the Wildcats is currently the second longest active streak and the 11th longest all time. 

LSU

Date: Saturday October 6, 2012

The Gators were mauled by the Tigers in 2011, 41-14,  and will look to avenge the loss with a home game this season.

The Tigers have won the past two meetings between the schools, and with both Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson graduating this year, the Gators will look to end that streak in 2012. 

@ Vanderbilt

Date: Sat. October 13, 2012 

Move along, nothing to see here. 

The Gators will continue their winning streak against Vanderbilt. 

South Carolina

Date: Sat. October 20, 2012

After finally ridding themselves of Stephen Garcia, the Gamecocks won consecutive games against the Gators for the first time in school history. 

With Marcus Lattimore returning from a knee injury, the Gamecocks will look to win their third straight game against Florida and their second straight game in the swamp. 

Georgia

Date: Sat. October 27, 2012 

The Dawgz are coming off of a season that saw them win the East and contend for a conference championship for the first time since 2005. They also ended a three game losing streak last season and will look to start their first winning streak in the series since 1987-1989. 

The Gators will be looking for revenge coming off of the 24-20 loss from last season. 

It's the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and could help determine who will represent the east in the SEC championship game.

Missouri

Date: Sat. November 3, 2012

The Missouri Wildcats will make the move to the SEC in 2012 and play in the Eastern Conference. Missouri finished 2011 8-5 with an impressive win over North Carolina to end their season. 

Missouri will step right into the East and attempt to help close the gap between the East and West that has developed the past couple seasons. 

Louisiana Lafayette

Date: Sat. November 10, 2012

The Ragin Cajuns are coming off of a 9-4 season where they won the New Orleans Bowl. 

This game will break up Florida's SEC schedule and should provide the Gators with an easier game before LSU comes to town.  

Jacksonville State

Date: Sat. November 17, 2012 

The only significant storyline in this game is that it will mark the second time this season that the Gators will play a team called the Gamecocks. 

Not much to this game—it is almost another bye week before the last game of the year. 

@ Florida State

Date: Sat. November 24, 2012 

The Seminoles have won the last two meetings and will look to make it three, as the Gators travel out west to finish the season. 

Will Muschamp will be looking for his first win against the in-state rival, and first win against his friend, Jimbo Fisher.