It's on.
The rumored and highly-anticipated Gasparilla Bowl matchup between UCF and Florida is now official. The two schools, which haven't met on the football field since 2006, will face off Thursday, Dec. 23 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
"We're excited to be playing in the Gasparilla Bowl against a quality in-state opponent like Florida," UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said in a statement. "This is a great opportunity for our fans being right down the road at a place our program has had a lot of success. We're really looking forward to heading over to Tampa."
It could be the best non-playoff bowl storyline matchup of bowl season.
There's been plenty of back-and-forth talk the past few seasons, notably between former UCF AD Danny White and UF AD Scott Stricklin in regards to scheduling. White wanted nothing less than a home-and-home series, while Stricklin didn't deem UCF worthy of that proposition.
The change in leadership at UCF - Terry Mohajir replaced White in February - ultimately led to a program change of heart. Earlier this summer, a deal was brokered for a three-game series against UF, two in Gainesville (2024, 2033) and one in Orlando (2030).
Things have changed a lot though since late July. UCF will soon head to the Big 12, likely in time for the 2023 season, while Oklahoma and Texas are SEC bound. That could change future non-conference scheduling dynamics as it's likely the Big 12 maintains a nine-game conference schedule and the SEC could go that route as well. If so, that 2024 game could be in jeopardy.
In any case, we'll get our matchup in just a few weeks time.
