Florida football opens up the second half of its 2026 schedule on Saturday with a trip to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns.
It has been a rollercoaster season for the Gators, who opened up the Jon Sumrall era with four straight wins, including a signature victory over Ole Miss in the Swamp. However, since that high-water mark, things have looked grim for the Orange and Blue after getting outscored 83-35 in its two losses to Missouri and South Carolina.
As for the Longhorns, they also began the fall campaign with four straight wins — a streak that included a 24-23 triumph over then-No. 1 Ohio State. However, things unraveled in Week 6 against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game after Arch Manning threw away a chance at a key win, leading
to a 27-24 defeat.
Ahead of Florida's showdown at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Gators Wire's staff convened to offer their expert predictions and picks for the Week 7 matchup. Take a look below at what we had to say.
'This program is too talented to lose three straight'
When the schedule was first released, Florida faced a grueling midseason stretch that included road games against Texas, a neutral-site game against Georgia, and a home game against Oklahoma. I mention this because I predicted the Gators were too talented to lose three straight. Though the hardships have come sooner, I still believe this program is too talented to lose three straight. What makes me more confident is their opponent this week.
If you look at how the Longhorns have performed this season, their tape is not that impressive. The Gators have succeeded this season by playing against a quarterback and offense far more talented and successful than Texas and Ole Miss.
Say what you want about an emotional game, but the Gators still hung 52 points on the Rebels. Another area I think is being ignored is the defense; the gap between the Florida defense and Texas defense isn't as big an advantage as UF's on offense.
That said, no, I don’t think the Gators will score more than 40 points on Texas, and Texas won’t either. I think the game will be ugly; Texas needs a major bounce-back game while Florida doesn’t want to be a team that loses three straight SEC games — only conference bottom-dwellers Arkansas and South Carolina have done that so far this season.
If Sumrall is the same guy Gator Nation hyped when media days rolled around and after the unbelievable 4-0 start, then they should believe he can do it on the road in the SEC against a ranked opponent with glaring flaws. — Michael Trim Jr.
PREDICTION: Florida 28, Texas 20
'Texas takes advantage of an electric home-field advantage'
Florida enters Saturday's matchup in Austin desperate to avoid a three-game skid. Texas presents a difficult challenge for the Gators as their defense has been among the nation's best. The explosive plays that have fueled Florida's early success will be hard to come by this week; this will make life exceedingly tough for Aaron Philo, Jadan Baugh and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
Where UF can take advantage is at the line of scrimmage, particularly the pass rush. Arch Manning has been dropped 12 times this season; two of those sacks came in their lone loss. Brad White's unit will need to create momentum-changing plays to cover up for a secondary that is dead last in the SEC.
I anticipate Florida will keep it competitive early, but the Gators' inability to run the football will ultimately doom Jon Sumrall's team. Texas takes advantage of an electric home field advantage to pull away in the second half. — Michael Long
PREDICTION: Texas 38, Florida 17
'The Gators' defense in particular appears ripe for the picking'
After what we have seen from this Florida team over the last two weeks, it is hard to envision a positive outcome against one of the better teams in the country — even if this Texas squad has some clear flaws. The Gators' defense in particular appears ripe for the picking against a potentially potent offense, while their own offense has been exposed in recent games.
Florida has never won in Austin and there is no reason to expect that to change in Week 7. I do hope to see some improvement on both sides of the ball, but that feels like wishful thinking at this point. — Adam Dubbin
PREDICTION: Texas 38, Florida 13
'It's hard to see UF pulling off a road win'
Just as Florida's first four games led to bold blowout predictions, the last two games would lead anyone to believe the Gators will lose on Saturday. Texas was ranked No. 1 coming into last week, and a narrow loss to Oklahoma doesn't change much. Arch Manning's late interception drew criticism, but the team didn't collapse the same way Florida did.
There's always a chance Vernell Brown III returns and magically fixes the offense, but teams will keep selling out against the run as long as he's hurt. Unless the playbook gets rewritten in a week, it's hard to see UF pulling off a road win. — David Rosenberg
PREDICTION: Texas 35, Florida 24
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Expert predictions, picks for Florida's Week 7 game at Texas
