Since 1933, Georgia and Florida have played each other every season in Jacksonville outside of two years. This has become the norm between these two stroied rivals, but fans have begun wondering if the game should ditch Jacksonville and move back to their campuses.
After this season the stadium in Jacksonville is undergoing renovations that forces this game to be played elsewhere for two years. But instead of taking the games to their campuses, it will be played in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027 before returning back to Jacksonville in 2028.
Many fans are upset at this missed opportunity to play these games at their campuses for two years, but some fans have taken their frustrations to another level by arguing that this game should permanently move back to their campuses.
Kirby Smart was recently asked about this debate, and he was't ready to say one option is better than the other as he sees pros and cons to both.
“I’m not looking to give a quote of, ‘Kirby wishes it was this, or Kirby thinks it’s this — I don’t,” Smart said via dawgnation.com. “I think there’s positives and negatives to both.”
Kirby Smart unsure of what Georgia and Florida should do next
Smart did go into a little more detail about why moving this game back to campus is intriguing to him, and it has to do with the players experiencing a new side of this rivalry that they won't get to see if the game remains at a neutral site.
“I think there’s something lost on that, you know? Our kids will never travel to those two locations, and you know, I did that when I played here, and I thought it was something special within that,” said Smart.
On top of being able to experience a new atmosphere, Smart also shared that playing more home games would help both Georgia and Florida in their recruiting efforts as well.
But there is one big positive to this game remaining in Jacksonville, and it unfortunately only has to do with money.
“Financially, it can be rewarding, yes,” Smart continued. “And we’re in a financial climate where money matters in terms of your athletic budget and being able to support it, and that is most certainly a factor in this decision.”
Unfortunately money has won this debate so far as the two teams are contractually obligated to play in Jacksonville through 2031, but that is when their contract with the city ends. Georgia and Florida could decide to cut ties with Jacksonville at that point and move these games back to their campuses, and there is a large section of both fanbases that hopes this happens.
But in a college football world that is so money hungry, it's hard to see that happening anytime soon.