If you live in or around Florida this game is one of the most famous and intense rival games ever.
The game held every October before Halloween has become one of the largest draws in Jacksonville Florida. It is really amazing that the whole downtown area turns into a small city with-in a big city. There are recreational cities, parties, and tons of people that venture to Jacksonville for this game. It is really hard to imagine unless you experience it yourself or like me live here in Jacksonville Florida.
Florida Gators Football:
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home games in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the university’s Gainesville, Florida campus, and are currently led by head coach Will Muschamp. The Gators have won three national championships and eight SEC titles in the 106-season history of their varsity football program.
Florida Gator History:
The University of Florida (then known as the “University of the State of Florida”) first fielded an official varsity football team in the fall of 1906, when the newly consolidated university moved to its new campus in Gainesville. Since then, the Gators football program has evolved from its very humble origins, and has achieved notable successes. The Gators have played in thirty-eight bowl games; won three national championships (1996, 2006, and 2008), and eight Southeastern Conference championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2008); and produced eighty-two first-team All-Americans, forty-two National Football League (NFL) first-round draft choices, and three Heisman Trophy winners. Since 1990, the Gators have won more games (210) than any other college football team in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as “Division I-A
Georgia Bulldogs Football:
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738-398-54 (a .647 winning percentage). The “Dawgs,” as they are sometimes called, play in historic Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, which, with a capacity of 92,746, is the eighth largest on-campus stadium in the United States and the 15th largest stadium in the world.
Georgia Bulldogs History:
The University of Georgia first formed a football squad in 1892,with chemistry professor Charles Herty as head coach. The team played its first game against a team from Mercer University, in what was supposedly the first football game played in the Deep South. In the 53 years following 1910, Georgia had 7 head coaches and a record of 307-180-33 (a .622 winning percentage).
These two teams have built a huge fan base and years of fans that follow these two teams. Football in Georgia and Florida has been around forever. Fans are dedicated to whatever team they favor.
The History between these two teams:
The Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic or Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic is an annual college football game played by the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs nearly every year since 1915. The name of the game rotates each year depending on which team is the designated home team. It is one of the great rivalry games in college football, and since 1933 it has been held in Jacksonville, Florida, with only two exceptions, making it one of the few remaining neutral-site rivalries. The game attracts huge crowds to Jacksonville, and the associated tailgating and other events earned it the nickname of the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party“. Since 1992, the game has usually been played on the last Saturday in October.
The two teams do not agree on when the rivalry began. The University of Georgia’s athletic department counts a 1904 match its football squad played against a team from a school known as the University of Florida. The first game acknowledged by both schools was held in Jacksonville in 1915, and except for the 1943 season when Florida did not field a team during World War II, the teams have met every year since 1926. From 1916 to 1932, the game was played at several different sites in Georgia (Athens and Savannah), and Florida (Tampa, Gainesville and Jacksonville.
The two teams disagree as to the overall series record as a result of their disagreement over whether to count the 1904 game. Following the 2010 contest, Georgia held a 48-40-2 overall record by its reckoning and 47-40-2 by Florida’s count. Florida has compiled an 18-4 record in the series since 1990 (Georgia winning in 1997, 2004, 2007 and 2011), following a 15-5 streak by Georgia in the 1970s and 1980s.
It is now officially known as the “Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic” or “Georgia vs. Florida Football Classic”, with the names alternating each season so that the “home” team is listed first.
Other Game Information:
As of the 2009 contest, the universities made $1.7 million every year, or $3.4 million every two years, as opposed to an expected $2.2 million every two years if the game were played at their respective home stadiums. The game weekend is also extremely lucrative for Jacksonville businesses, particularly in the downtown area, with many reporting that it is their busiest weekend of the year.
In 2009, Georgia’s athletic board unanimously agreed to a six-year contract to keep the game in Jacksonville through 2016.
So this game will be held in Jacksonville for a few more years and if you ever wanted to have the experience of a true College Football Game this is one you do not want miss.
Thank you to the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs for information provided in my article.