Florida hosts Oklahoma on Saturday night, Nov. 7, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It’s a 7:45 PM kickoff on SEC Network, and it’s the last chance this fall to catch a night game in Gainesville. Florida’s only home game after this one is Vanderbilt on Nov. 21, which is set for the early window. Here’s everything you need to plan the day, from parking and shuttles to what you can carry through the gate.
The basics
- Matchup: Florida17 vs. Oklahoma
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
- Kickoff: 7:45 PM ET
- TV: SEC Network
- Radio: Gators Sports Network
- Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
- Theme: Saluting Those Who Serve Game, presented by VyStar Credit Union. The game honors members of the armed forces, veterans and local first responders.
Kickoff times can still change. We’ll update this page if the SEC moves anything, and you can always check the official schedule at floridagators.com.
A little history
Florida and Oklahoma have played each other only twice, and both games were bowl games at neutral sites. Florida won the first one, 24-14, in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami in January 2009. Oklahoma won the second, 55-20, in the Cotton Bowl in December 2020. This is their first meeting as SEC rivals and the first time the two have played in Gainesville. It’s also the first fall in Gainesville for head coach Jon Sumrall.
Tickets
- Single-game tickets for Oklahoma were on sale as of Oct. 26, 2026. Buy them on the Florida Gators ticket page.
- Only three sources are authorized to sell Florida home football tickets: Ticketmaster, the Florida Gators Ticket Office and the visiting team’s ticket office. Tickets from anyone else may not get you in.
- All tickets are mobile. Screenshots won’t scan. Add your tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Pay before you leave the hotel.
- Need help on game day? At recent home games, the ticket office at Gate 1 of the O’Connell Center opened 3 hours before kickoff.
Getting there and parking
Campus parking is the hardest part of any home game, and on a night game a lot of fans come in early to tailgate. Plan ahead.
- Use Waze. Florida set up the Waze app for game day. Pick your lot and it routes you around the closed campus streets.
- Unreserved lots are first come, first served, and they fill fast.
- No parking on sidewalks, grass or taped-off areas. You can be ticketed or towed.
- No saving spots. Saving parking or tailgate spaces isn’t allowed.
Road closures
- Starting 5 hours before kickoff (2:45 PM for this game), you need a parking pass to drive on Gale Lemerand Drive north of Museum Road.
- From 3 hours before kickoff (4:45 PM) until 2 hours after the game, no cars on W University Ave from Gale Lemerand Drive to NW 17th Street, on Gale Lemerand Drive between University Ave and Stadium Road, or on Stadium Road from Gale Lemerand Drive to Fletcher Drive.
- Fletcher Drive is one-way now. You can’t turn south onto it from University Ave.
The game-day shuttle
If you’re staying off campus, the shuttle is the easiest way in. Florida runs it for home football games only.
- Hours: from 3 hours before kickoff until kickoff. For a 7:45 PM game, that means about 4:45 PM to 7:45 PM. Rides back start in the 4th quarter.
- Pick-up spots: Celebration Pointe (3167 SW 49th Terrace, behind the Regal theater and in front of the parking garage), UF Park and Ride Lot #2 (3497 Hull Road) and Garage 109 (on Gale Lemerand Drive, south of Archer Road).
- Fee: $20 for adults and $10 for kids under 12, paid on game day at the Park and Ride spots.
- Drop-off: Celebration Pointe and Park and Ride riders get dropped off and picked up at Van Fleet Hall. Garage 109 riders get picked up on Gale Lemerand Drive just south of the Stadium Road intersection.
- Need a hand? EZ Event Ride is a free ride for guests with limited mobility parked in non-reserved campus lots. Call (352) 375-4683 ext. 0. Wait times can be long.
Tailgating rules
- Setup can start at 6 AM on game day. In athletic association (UAA) lots, it starts at 8 AM.
- Everything has to be packed up and cleared by 3 AM after the game.
- No tailgating in parking garages, on rooftops or in spots that aren’t parking spaces.
- Tents can be up to 12 x 10 feet, and they can’t be staked into the ground.
- No personal drones anywhere on campus.
- Alcohol is for ages 21 and up only, from 6 AM on game day until 3 AM. Keep open containers inside your tailgate area. They aren’t allowed on sidewalks or streets.
- UF is a tobacco-free campus. That includes vapes.
- Grills have to be attended and at least 25 feet from buildings and vehicles. No fire pits or open flames.
At the gate: bags and what to bring
- Clear bags only: one clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 in. or a one-gallon clear resealable bag, plus one small clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 in.
- Not allowed: backpacks, drawstring bags, coolers, outside food or drink, personal seatbacks, selfie sticks, noisemakers and cameras with detachable lenses.
- Water: you can bring one empty, store-bought plastic water bottle up to 20 oz and fill it at the stations inside.
- Seat cushions up to 16 in. are OK if they don’t have pockets or a back.
- Express Entry: sign up free at floridagators.com and walk in using your face at Gates 1, 4, 7, 8, 12 and 16.
- Gate times: for the South Carolina game, all gates opened 2 hours before kickoff. Florida usually posts a “What You Need to Know” guide the week of each home game, so check that for this game’s gate times.
Inside the stadium
- All concessions are cashless. Bring a card or use your phone.
- Two Grab N Go Gators stores, inside Gate 18 and on the north end zone concourse, are the quickest places to grab a drink or snack.
- Get to your seat early for the pregame show: the Fightin’ Gator Marching Band, the mascot entrance and the celebrity “Mr. Two Bits” cheer.
- Between the third and fourth quarters, the whole stadium sings Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Petty was from Gainesville.
- Restrooms open on campus at 8 AM, and portable restrooms are set up around campus too, including the north lawn of the stadium.
Time change heads-up
Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM on Sunday, Nov. 1. By Nov. 7 it will be dark well before kickoff, so plan for a night tailgate. Pack a flashlight or lantern for the lot and a layer for the stands.
Eat, stay and play
- Before the game: see Eats for brunch, BBQ and game-day watch spots near campus and downtown.
- Make a day of it: with a 7:45 PM kickoff you’ve got the whole day free. Read Night Game Saturday: How to Spend the Day in Gainesville.
- Where to stay: hotels sell out on home weekends. See City Guide for hotels near campus and by the Celebration Pointe shuttle.
- Sunday: sleep in, then pick something from Things To Do.
More Gator games this week
Volleyball hosts South Carolina on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 PM and Georgia on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 PM (Senior Day), both at the O’Connell Center. Softball plays Saint Leo in a fall exhibition on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 PM. See Gator Sports for the full schedule.
