It has not always been the case, but Georgia has had the upper hand in The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party over the last few years, for the better part of a decade now, and throughout one of college football's greatest rivalries. Entering the 2025 contest, Georgia holds a 56-44-2 all-time lead. Georgia has won four in a row, seven of the last eight, and 10 now of the last 14 dating back to 2011.
Prior to 2011, Georgia won three games (1997, 2004, 2007) between 1990 and 2010. That coincided with the Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer eras of Florida football, with the Ron Zook era sprinkled in between. This is a rivalry series defined by momentum, but one that may not swing in Florida's favor for a little while longer. Anything can happen in this rivalry game, but Florida just fired its head coach.
So in the lead-up to the 2025 meeting, let's take a look back at 10 of the best moments from this rivalry series from a Georgia perspective. In the games that Georgia has won, it has usually been about rubbing it in Florida's face. Whenever the Gators get on top, Dawg Nation tends to mentally block it out. We only remember the good times in Jacksonville, right? Well, let's get down to it then.
Kicking off the top 10 is one matchup that perhaps best defines the inherent pettiness of this rivalry.
10. 1985: Georgia returns the favor in 1985 after Florida embarrassment
The mid-1980s is when this rivalry started to turn a little bit. Georgia had the upper hand in the early part of the decade before hitting a downturn as a program in the 1990s. In 1984, Florida demolished Georgia to the tune of 27-0 in Jacksonville. This resulted in Florida storming the field and tearing down the goalposts. This was Galen Hall's finest team, one where Kerwin Bell was a star quarterback.
A year later, Florida was at seemingly the peak of its powers. Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Dawgs decided they were not going to be embarrassed like that. With the help of two freshmen running backs in Keith Henderson and Tim Worley rushing for over 100 yards apiece, the Dawgs flipped the script to win by a convincing 24-3 margin. After the game ended, look who tore down the goalposts.
This is just one of the many examples where the animus between these two rivals is hard to replicate.
9. 1966: Bill Stanfill's epic quote helped form Steve Spurrier's origin story
Every villain has an origin story. Steve Spurrier hated a lot of teams in his playing and coaching career, namely Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee. While the Head Ball Coach went on to become one of Florida's greatest players and head coaches, as well as an all-time soundbite generator, what Georgia defensive tackle Bill Stanfill had to say in the aftermath of the 1966 game has stood the test of time.
Stanfill described sacking Spurrier at will in the 27-10 win was akin to something he did growing up.
"Holding pigs for my dad to castrate was quite a challenge. I can't say that helped prepare me for football, but it sure did remind me an awful lot of sacking Steve Spurrier."
Spurrier would win the Heisman Trophy that season before spending a decade playing in the NFL.
8. 1976: Florida falls victim to "Fourth and Dumb" during the bicentennial
Another season with major aspirations for Florida unraveled by Georgia in Jacksonville... This one was so incredibly self-inflicted, it is almost unheard of. During the 1976 game, Florida was up 27-20 in the third quarter before Gators head coach Doug Dickey did something that can only be described as "fourth and dumb". Rather than punt deep in Florida territory, he decided to go for it on fourth-and-1.
Georgia stopped the ball carrier short of the line of gain. The Dawgs gained possession at the Florida 29-yard line and then proceeded to run train on them. Georgia would go on to win the game, 41-27. Had they have won this game, Florida may have won its first SEC Championship that season. Instead, it was a heroic performance that probably helped former quarterback Ray Goff lead his alma mater.
The amount of machismo arrogance some of these coaches would try to do back in the day is insane.
7. 1941: "Too Much Sinkwich" is never a bad thing for Georgia Bulldogs
Frank Sinkwich is one of two former Georgia stars to win the Heisman Trophy. While he would be the first Georgia player to do that a year later in 1942, in addition to leading the Bulldogs to their first national championship as well, he left his mark in his alma mater's biggest rivalry game the year prior. During the 1941 season, the "too much Sinkwich" game became early lore for this national power.
Sinkwich broke his jaw earlier that year. With the help of a custom chinstrap, he ran all over the Florida defense. He had 31 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns, as well as Georgia's first made field goal since 1924. Georgia won the game easily, 19-3. When asked about what happened afterwards, Florida head coach Tom Lieb coined the phrase this game is remembered for: "Too much Sinkwich."
These are the type of legendary performances Georgia football was built around in the earliest years.
6. 1997: That one time Jim Donnan got the best of the Head Ball Coach
The 1997 game between Florida and Georgia perhaps best personifies the other unique nature of this rivalry series. Just when you think the lesser team has no chance, they will come out and stun you. Georgia's 37-17 win over No. 6 Florida was the Dawgs' first win over the Gators since 1989. Robert Edwards ran all over the Florida defense that day with four touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
Several years ago, I remember interviewing Hall of Fame offensive tackle Matt Stinchcomb about this game in particular. I asked him if the vibes were different coming in. He said that there was a low-key confidence about this Georgia team, one that had "half-a-hundred" hung on them two years prior. Florida won its first national championship only a year ago. Stinchcomb said everything clicked then.
For as up and down as the Jim Donnan era of Georgia football was, it is hard to top this performance.
5. 2023: Billy Napier has his biggest mental meltdown while at Florida
These next three moments I have a personal connection to because I was either an alumnus or a student at Georgia by then. The 2023 game sticks out because it was one where it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Billy Napier did not belong coaching a program like Florida in the SEC. It took a few years after this, but Florida eventually came to its sense. Napier always saved his worst for UGA.
If memory serves me right, Florida was still very much in this game into the second quarter before Napier had a mental meltdown for the ages. He had his own "fourth-and-dumb to start the frame. Georgia would score a touchdown. On its next possession, Florida fumble and Georgia scored four plays later. And then on its third possession, Georgia then blocked a punt for a safety to go up, 26-7.
Georgia would go on to win the game 43-20 during a contest where Napier handed them 16 points.
4. 2012: Jarvis Jones punched ball out of Jordan Reed's hands at goal line
This was probably the best game played between Georgia and Florida since I have been a fan. Florida was 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the country coming in. Georgia was 6-1 with a tough road loss at South Carolina. This game would go on to decide who won the SEC East, like it did most years at the time. After finally breaking through over Florida a year ago, Aaron Murray and the offense came to play.
Georgia was able to take a 17-9 lead late over a dominating Florida defense. With the game on the line, Jeff Driskel and the Florida offense were driving late, hoping to tie it up and force overtime. Instead, Georgia star linebacker Jarvis Jones was able to knock the ball out of tight end Jordan Reed's hands at the goal line to force a touchback and secure the victory. Georgia won the East.
Unfortunately, Georgia came up five yards short of beating Alabama in the SEC title bout that season.
3. 2022: Brock Bowers' second greatest play for Georgia stuns Florida
As we look back on the 2021-22 national title runs, the more Georgia fans will be reminded that the greatest tight end in college football history starred Between the Hedges in Brock Bowers. While his game-saving dive near the sidelines vs. Ohio State in the 2022 Peach Bowl remains his greatest play in Georgia history, his unbelievable 73-yard touchdown catch vs. Florida in 2022 was indescribable!
This was Billy Napier's first season at Florida, hoping to make his mark like Dan Mullen and many others before him never could. Stetson Bennett IV threw the ball in Bowers' direction. In what would have been an incompletion to seemingly everyone else, Bowers came up with it and took it to the house. It was one of those plays where only he could have made it happen. This is why he is a legend.
Georgia would win that game 42-20, en route to going 15-0 and winning back-to-back national titles.
2. 2007: Mark Richt encourages excessive celebration with "Gator Stomp"
One could argue that this moment is the beginning of the peak under Mark Richt at Georgia. Yes, he won two SEC Championships prior to this game down in Jacksonville in 2007, but this was one of the many culture ignitors throughout that season. Georgia was effectively empowered by its head coach to get an excessive celebration penalty if it scored on its first touchdown. Knowshon Moreno did that.
Known today as the "Gator Stomp", all of Georgia's players ran to the Florida end zone to celebrate Moreno hitting pay dirt. Richt thought it would be only the 11 players on the field, but it became the entire team. Georgia would go on to win the game 42-30 that day, making eventual Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow's day a living hell. Georgia did not play for any titles that year, but it should have...
That 2007 team finished ranked No. 2 in the country and entered next season ranked No. 1 overall.
1. 1980: Buck Belue finds Lindsay Scott to make Larry Munson a legend
Along with Kelee Ringo's game-sealing pick-six over Alabama in the 2021 National Championship, Buck Belue finding Lindsay Scott for a 93-yard touchdown is the greatest play in Georgia football history. Georgia may have been favored in the 1980 rendition of the Cocktail Party, but they were about to lose 21-20 with less than a minute left. On a third-and-7, something magical happened.
Belue connected with Scott near the 25-yard line and he outran everyone. Larry Munson said it best.
"Florida in a stand-up five, they may or may not blitz. Buck back, third down on the eight. In trouble, he got a block behind him. Gotta throw on the run. Complete to the 25. To the 30, Lindsay Scott 35, 40, Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40 . . . Run Lindsay, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott!"
This pass allowed for Georgia to pull off the unbelievable 26-21 victory en route to a perfect national championship-winning season. That year was had so many moments that stood the test of time, but the sheer improbability of it is why this is one of the greatest plays in the history of sports. In a season defined by a great defense and Herschel Walker running the football, this one transcends it.
After looking back on many of these great memories from Cocktail Parties from yesteryear, we are once again reminded of how special it is that Georgia gets to play Florida annually in Jacksonville. It may take away from potentially great moments at Sanford or Ben Hill Griffin, but the venue and the stage of this rivalry is always baked into the equation. You never know what is about to happen next.
We can only hope the great memories outweigh the bad for as long as this rivalry series still matters.