The move to a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026 resulted in the end of a significant yearly conference game for Florida football.
The Florida Gators and Tennessee developed an intense rivalry in the 1990s, fueled by the excellence of both programs and the larger-than-life personalities of former UF coach Steve Spurrier and former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.
But after facing off for 35 straight years from 1990-2025, Florida and Tennessee won’t meet on the field in 2026. The SEC chose Florida’s three yearly rivals as Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky, while Tennessee’s yearly rivals are Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
That doesn’t sit well with Fulmer, who was honored with the Steve Spurrier Legendary coaching award at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille in Gainesville on Monday, Feb. 23.
“For both sides it’s disappointing,” Fulmer said. “It’s one of those that’s a classic, only a couple of teams in the league have played that long against each other, and the consequences of what the game has meant for so many years with Steve and I during the 90s and early 2000s, it was a national game every weekend.”
The game between Florida and Tennessee was traditionally played on the third weekend in September, with the winner getting a leg up in the SEC East division conference race. There were great duels between UF Heisman winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. Florida won its first national title under Spurrier in 1996, while Tennessee won a national title under Fulmer in 1998.
Fulmer said one of his most memorable moments in the rivalry was in 2001, when, in a game moved back to Dec. 1 because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the No. 5 Vos upset No. 2 Florida 34-32 at The Swamp to reach the SEC Championship game and keep its national championship hopes alive.
“First game we played against them when I was an interim, that was a great game,” Fulmer said. “Along the way there have been some classics for sure.”
Florida holds 32-23 lead in the all-time series but Tennessee has won the last two, including a 31-11 win at The Swamp on Nov. 25, 2025, that snapped a 10-game losing streak at UF’s home stadium.
Although Spurrier and Fulmer traded some barbs during the intense rivarly between UF and UT in the 1990s, the 75-yer-old Fulmer said the two have now developed a strong friendship.
“Our wives are great friends, and Steve and I you know all the way going back to all the conference stuff going on there, we were always on the same page.,” Fulmer said. “It grew out of friendship. Obviously, a great competitor and we feel like we are too. It’s good to be at this stage of life to appreciate all that you’ve accomplished.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Phillip Fulmer sad to see yearly Florida football vs Tennessee rivalry end
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
