The Gators competed in Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus.

[3] The match with MTSU was intended to be the season opener for the Gators, but was canceled and rescheduled because of Hurricane Frances.

This left the Gators without a regular-season bye week.

Ron Zook's last game as head coach of the Florida Gators and spoiled the dedication of the field for Bobby Bowden.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was interim head coach for the bowl game.