Florida, Georgia release joint statement on future of rivalry series in Jacksonville

Ahead of the annual rivalry matchup in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday between the Florida Gators and No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, the two programs released a joint statement on the future of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

“The annual game between our two universities is an important tradition,” the statement reads. “At this time, both programs are focused on our current seasons. Typically both schools begin conversations regarding future games in the series as the last contracted game nears. We anticipate following that timeline.

“When those discussions take place, we will consider a multitude of factors, including tradition, finances, future SEC scheduling models with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, and what is best for both schools’ football programs overall.”

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Florida and Georgia have played the rivalry game every season since 1926 except for a war-time interruption in 1943. The series moved to Jacksonville in 1933 and it remains one of the few traditional neutral-site series left in college football.

The current contract for the Florida-Georgia game keeps the game in Jacksonville through 2023, however, there is an option to extend it through 2025.

The game on Saturday has a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff time and the game broadcast will be on CBS. Undefeated Georgia is a 22.5-point favorite, per the Vegas odds.

Kirby Smart says he hasn’t spent ‘one second’ thinking about game location

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart made his point of view on the game abundantly clear ahead of this year’s edition.

“There’s really quality benefits to both,” Smart said last week. “… I enjoy the pageantry of going down there and playing. I enjoyed playing there as a player, I enjoy tradition… When it comes down to it, there’s a very, very basic element of everything comes back to, number one money and number two, recruiting and getting good players. I firmly believe that we’ll be able to sign better players by having it as a home-and-home because we’ll have more opportunities to get them to campus. But, I also think there’s a financial factor that factors into that, with having the game there, and being able to make more money for the university, possibly, there.

“You have to weigh both those and make really good decisions. But, I promise you, I have not thought about that one second since the start of the season. And I’m not going to think about it for one second, because I got to worry about coaching our team, and I’m not fighting the fight in the public forum. I’m not fighting the fight for anything. I’m worried about our team and us playing well and how we block and tackle of what plays we call it how we play special teams. That’s just not a priority for me, where that game is right now.”