Gators AD: I’m open to playing UCF

Knights’ White suggests playing at neutral site

GAINESVILLE — UF athletics director Scott Stricklin said Friday he would be open to scheduling a football game, or even a series, with UCF.

The game would pit one of the nation’s storied programs and the state’s flagship university against one of fastest rising programs in college football and a university with the state’s largest enrollment.

“I’d be OK with scheduling them — in the right situation,” Stricklin said.

Stricklin said UCF athletics director Danny White has never reached out about the possibility of playing the Gators.

Stricklin said he would be willing to pick up the phone, too.

“We haven’t had a spot where we thought this made sense at this point,” Stricklin said.

If the schools were to set up a Gators-Knights series, Stricklin said it would have to be similar to the two-for-one structure of UF’s upcoming series with USF, announced last May.

The Bulls will visit the Swamp in 2022 and 2025, with the Gators visiting Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium in 2023.

White has said the Knights have to focus on scheduling home-and-home series, with one game played at UF and one at UCF. He suggested it would be unfair to a growing