SALT LAKE CITY — Utah made it official Friday — the Utes are headed to Gator country.
Both schools announced Utah football will play Florida in a home-and-home series in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Gators will host the Utah in Gainesville in 2022, with the return game in Salt Lake City in 2023.
“A series with the University of Florida is an exciting opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and fans and we are thrilled to schedule another prominent opponent,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a news release.
Earlier in the week, BYU and Utah announced a change to their rivalry series, which included canceling their previously scheduled games in 2022 and 2023 — allowing the Utes the flexibility to add the Florida series — while also adding four more games, from 2025-28.
Adding Florida means Utah has finalized its future nonconference schedules through the 2024 season. The Utes and Gators have played just once previously — Nov. 19, 1977, in Gainesville, when Florida beat Utah 38-29.
The last time the Gators played a Pac-12 opponent was in 1989, when Florida faced Washington.
Utah has 24 future nonconference games scheduled to date, including four against SEC members (Florida in 2022 and 2023, Arkansas in 2026 and 2028), two against Big 12 member Baylor (2023-24) and seven against BYU (2020-21, 2025-28).