Florida and Tulane are set to clash in this year’s Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It’s the seventh time the game will be played under the name — it was canceled in 2020 — and the sixth time since moving from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
No offense to Tropicana Field, but any time you can play a bowl game named after a mythical pirate in a football stadium that has a pirate ship, it’s a move you need to make.
As for the matchup itself, this will be Florida’s second appearance in the game after losing to UCF 29-17 in 2021. Tulane has never appeared in the game but does have familiarity with the Gators. These two programs have met 21 times before, and Florida holds a 13-6-2 edge while having won the last 11 straight meetings.
Of course, it’s been a while since the last one, which came 40 years ago in 1984. We’ll see if old feelings die hard and how salty Tulane remains about that 63-21 defeat.
Florida vs. Tulane: Need to know
Florida played one of the most difficult schedules in the country: All strength of schedule metrics are a little different and weigh certain factors more than others, but no matter which SOS ranking you consult, Florida finds itself near the top when it comes to most difficult schedules. The Gators played five games against teams in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, as well as games against Texas A&M and LSU, teams that spent most of the season ranked. All in all, a 7-5 mark against that slate is an impressive result.