Florida, Florida State attempt April Fools’ Day school merger joke

Rival colleges Florida and Florida State came together for an April Fools’ Day joke that the two schools were merging into one.

Across the country, people are trying to fool one another on April 1st, known to pranksters as April Fools’ Day. Down in the Sunshine State, the two most well-known public universities put aside their differences and attempted to pull a fast one on their fans and alumni.

Florida State University and the University of Florida, two hated foes on the athletic field and in the academic world, don’t like each other. It’s not a state secret that those who root for the ‘Noles despise the Gators and vice versa.

But for one day, the presidents of both universities (as well as one state official) put together videos discussing how the two schools were going to “merge” into one mega college that would take over the world. The videos even came with cheesy music and news graphics:

The joke fell flat for a variety of reasons; the TV station’s call letters involving BS (which we all know what that stands for) and the fact that Gators and ‘Noles can barely stand to be in the same stadium for three hours at a time, much less became classmates or spend the rest of their lives associated with one another.

Over the past few seasons, Florida State has had an advantage over the Gators in several major sports, including winning five of the last six football games between the schools and three straight between the men’s basketball teams.

Florida State shares their rivalry disdain with the Miami Hurricanes, a school the Florida Gators have played just five times since discontinuing their yearly football series after the 1987 season. Florida and Miami will play again in 2019 inside Orlando’s Citrus Bowl Stadium.

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