There aren't many college football rivalries that are better than Georgia and Florida. The two sides have done battle 102 times in their history, with Georgia holding a 56-44-2 edge in the series history. While that is a solid lead for the Bulldogs, everyone knows this series has been dominated by both programs multiple times throughout the years.
However, unlike most rivalries, this game is played in Jacksonville every year instead of taking place on the two campuses. In fact, outside of two years in 1994 and 1995, this rivalry has been played in Jacksonville every year since 1944. That however will change in 2026 and 2027 when construction is done on the stadium in Jacksonville.
The bad news for Georgia and Florida fans is that instead of the rivalry taking place on Georgia and Florida's campus in 2026 and 2027, they will continue to be played at a neutral site. The game will be played in Atlanta in 2026 with the 2027 edition of the rivalry taking place in Tampa Bay.
Many fans would love this game to move to campuses every year already, but the fact that both programs missed a prime opportunity to do that in 2026 and 2027 is very disappointing. But the reason for this decision, to no one's surprise, has to do with one thing. Money.
Georgia and Florida take quick payday over pleasing their fanbases
According to multiple reports, Georgia and Florida will both be paid $7.5 million in 2026 to play their annual rivalry game in Atlanta. This number will drop slightly in 2027 to around $5 million when the game is in Tampa Bay, but that number has not been confirmed yet.
Obviously more money for both Georgia and Florida is a good thing for both programs, but when will college football programs realize that not everything is about the bottom line? Could they not take two years off from these massive paydays to make their respective fanbases happy by having the game on their campuses?
Most fans would think this is an easy sacrifice to make considering the game has only been played on campuses twice in almost 80 years. But unfortunately the only thing driving this decision is greed, and it appears the powers at be will never be satisfied with the large amount of money they are already making.