You can almost hear the crowd roaring…
Now may not yet seem like the time to talk football. But if you plan to come up for a game this
fall, you should buy tickets and want to book the hotel pretty soon, especially for the more
popular opponents who come to The Swamp.
I’ve been to Gator football games since I was a student, and not to give away my age here, but
I’ve since had two daughters become Gators. That’s a lot of UF football. I know which
opponents are the big rivalries (did I mention LSU, Tennessee and Kentucky?) and which
games should be cool. (Okay, we won’t count the time that the Gators nearly lost to Louisiana’s
Ragin’ Cajuns…) A Gator
home game is an experience, from pre-gaming (ask your student) to Gator Walk. Two hours
and 25 minutes before each home game, fans line the northern end of the stadium to cheer on
the team as de Gator Enter the stadium for today’s game. Then there’s the game itself. And
hopefully, a celebration after the win. It’s really good that you’ve started preparing now!
Tickets on sale NOW!
Let me say it again: season tickets are on sale now. If your plan is to come up for a game to visit
your student, you will also book your hotel now. Usually, many are sold out very early. When
you’re looking for that hotel room, prepare for some sticker shock. You’ll notice that prices are
sometimes double what you’d pay for a weekend without incident.
Does the U.S. have a new app, Florida Gators App, launched last August and manages the UF
online football ticketing system? Fans can now connect their Ticketmaster account to the app.
This gives fans the opportunity to save their tickets (season, package or single game) on the
app and enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium using their phone. Student tickets are exclusively digital,
with the plan for all tickets going digital sometime in 2020. Once in the stadium, fans will be able
to store credit card information on the app, so cash or a physical credit card will not be required
if a fan prefers a cashless experience at the concession stands. In addition to tickets and
concessions, the app offers other stadium benefits for fans, such as buying “Swamp Moments”
(that is, video board messages),seat upgrades or exclusive events.
Game day stay
Almost every hotel in Gainesville requires anywhere from 30-60 days cancellation during a
football weekend, as opposed to the 24-hour cancellation when there is no high demand
weekend. (High demand weekends also include exam weekends.)
Football weekends are a big deal, especially with Florida’s strong alumni base and national
appeal. And our Gators have played well, so you’ll probably see ESPN’s College GameDay
broadcast at least once from campus. That broadcast often includes the UFC’s most famous
quarterback, Tim Tebow, back in Gainesville and wearing orange and blue … without shoulder
pads!
As the reigning Orange Bowl Champions, expectations are again high for the Gators. (Ok …
they are usually…. this is UF.). So expect challenges as you seek tickets for you and all your
Gator-loving family and friends, especially with this season’s unique-to-2020 All-SEC line-up.
The Gators’ home opener in The Swamp is the second game of the season. They will play the
USC Gamecocks on October 3, which is also the pending Homecoming Date. The Gators are
back home for two weeks in a row later this month. It will be a real face-off against the 2019
National Champion LSU Tigers on October 17, and a tussle against Missouri follows on October
24. Another major rivalry will take the team to Jacksonville on November 7 for their annual
home-away-from-home game against Georgia.
The traditional Thanksgiving weekend game on November 28th will see the Gators take on
always tough Kentucky at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium instead of the usual UF-FSU rivalry game.
(Because, 2020. What can I say?) This will be a season of irrecondable rival action. Be ready
for that.