Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The email arrived earlier than usual this week — the one announcing Florida's 21st consecutive sellout at The Swamp.
The messages have become commonplace over the past few seasons. Normally, they arrive closer to kickoff.
But with No. 4 Ole Miss visiting on Saturday to face the No. 21-ranked Gators, tickets vanished faster than Jadan Baugh down the sideline. This is not Campbell Week. This is a good old-fashioned Southeastern Conference showdown between two undefeated teams.
First-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall's ears were introduced to the home-field noise in the season opener against FAU. He expected a lively crowd, but what he got was packed pandemonium from a fan base fired up about the future.
"Holy cow,'' he recalled. "This is electric."
Everyone knows FAU and Campbell are not Ole Miss. Add the fact that the Gators are coming off last week's 44-39 win at Auburn, and Florida fans are buzzing around like they haven't in a while.
They have Sumrall's full support.
"I think we'll have an awesome crowd,'' he said. "I fully expect our fan base to be ready to go and create as much havoc as they possibly can, and make it a tough place to play when we play big games like this one."
Gators fans know how to turn up the volume on Saturdays at The Swamp. (Photo: Audrey Djuricich/UAA Communications)
After the Rebels knocked off LSU at home last week, many expected them to be a slight favorite on the road. The oddsmakers saw it differently.
"I don't know. We may get added points in Vegas for home-field advantage, like more than normal," Sumrall said. "But yeah, it's a special place."
A glance at the major secondary ticket markets online Wednesday afternoon highlighted the game's appeal. The cheapest ticket was around $188, and the resale market had the seats closest to Florida Field going for twice that much or more.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding didn't need a reminder Wednesday of what's in store for his team. He was the Rebels' defensive coordinator in 2024 when the Gators upset Ole Miss, and in 2021, he was on top-ranked Alabama's defensive staff when the Crimson Tide escaped with a win in one of the loudest start-to-finish games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium history.
"Well aware of how hard that place is to play,'' Golding said.
The Gators are ranked for the first time since being No. 13 heading into last season's home loss to USF. They fell from the polls and never returned during a 4-8 season.
Florida's first 3-0 start in seven years has boosted excitement. A victory over the Rebels on Saturday will ensure UF's sellout streak – the longest for the program since a 138-game run from 1989-2011 – won't end anytime soon.
The Gators can't wait.
"The Swamp is a very hostile environment,'' sophomore receiver Vernell Brown III said. "Ninety thousand-plus fans, they're on our side; it's kind of like a 12th man on the field. And you know, we know the fans will show up and show out every Saturday and give us that little advantage."
