Florida slated to host Arkansas, visit Texas A&M in new 2020 SEC schedule

The Florida Gators are set host the Arkansas Razorbacks and visit the Texas A&M Aggies this fall as part of the new 10-game all-SEC schedule for 2020, the league announced via SEC Network on Friday evening.

Florida has not played Arkansas since 2016, and is now slated to host the Razorbacks for the first time since 2013. The Gators’ road trip to Texas A&M would be their first meeting with the Aggie since 2017 and their first visit to College Station since 2012, when they defeated Texas A&M and eventual Heisman winner Johnny Manziel in their first conference matchup .

The Florida-Arkansas game stands to be one of the marquee matchups of the 14 games announced by the SEC on Friday, as it could pit the Gators against former starting quarterback Feleipe Franks, who transferred to Arkansas this offseason and is set to be eligible in 2020 as a graduate transfer.

Florida’s planned visit to Texas A&M could also bring the Gators an earlier-than-expected meeting with former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, whose time in Tallahassee included a 6-1 record against Florida.

The league will release the entirety of its revamped schedule next week.

Of course, it is very likely that none or very few of the games on that schedule will actually happen, because the spread of coronavirus in the United States is still so pervasive that preserving the good health of dozens of college-aged men and the people responsible for coaching and training them over months of competition that will include interstate travel is almost assuredly going to be a task too tall for the powers that be in major college football, but the SEC is among the bodies still pretending that they will be able to operate a billion-dollar industry that makes its money off players who are meagerly compensated and increasingly inclined to exercise their right to protest amidst a pandemic.

I suppose it’s nice to have dreams.