Florida governor wants UF-FSU game to happen in 2020

Former governor LeRoy Collins lobbied for a rivalry between Florida and Florida State in the mid-1950s, and ultimately got his wish with the series starting in 1958.

The state's current governor, Ron DeSantis, doesn't want it end this season and may be working to ensure the game is played. Last week the SEC announced a 10-game, conference-only schedule, despite the ACC keeping the door open for one non-conference matchup.

If the Gators and Seminoles can play this fall, DeSantis thinks the two teams need to meet in the state's capital.

"We do have a situation coming up where we're going to have a college football season without Florida playing Florida State," DeSantis said Thursday at a press conference. "I just want to say, that as the governor, I would like to see a way for that game to happen. I think this is a very fluid situation, but it's an epic rivalry and if you're able to play, you're able to play. So let's give the fans what they want. So we may be working on that over the next couple of weeks."

After state legislators voted down a 1955 bill requiring the two programs to play against each other, Collins urged UF administrators to still consider a series with FSU and three years later in came to fruition.

Florida leads the rivalry, 36-28, and has won the last two matchups under third-year coach Dan Mullen.

The Gators were scheduled to travel to Tallahassee on Nov. 28, but athletics director Scott Stricklin said the SEC pushing back its kickoff date (Sept. 26) and conference title game (Dec. 19) caused the cancellation of FSU.

"We made the decision we wanted to move the conference championship game back a couple weeks. We wanted to keep that Dec. 12 date available for any rescheduling that needed to occur," Stricklin said last week. "And once you do that, you have 11 Saturdays left to play 10 conference games. It just, we ran out of Saturdays."

Is there any chance the state legislature could get involved? Stricklin was asked that exaction question during his Zoom call with the media.

"As members of the SEC we're kind of bound by their rules," Stricklin said. "And right now they've precluded all non-conference activity in the sport of football for this year. So as difficult as that is for us all in the state of Florida to wrap our minds around, that's where we're going to be for the fall of 2020."