Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, while attending Spring Meetings this week in Destin, spoke on the topic of the Georgia-Florida game and how some fans would like to see it switch to a home-and-home rivalry.
“You are always looking to see what you can do to make your program better,” Smart said when asked about the game by DawgNation. “Nothing is off the table, but nothing has been decided.”
The game is played every year in Jacksonville, Florida, where Bulldogs and Gator fans turn the area into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
However, playing the game at a neutral site, though it is the best weekend in college football, does have its drawbacks. Some say it’s basically a home game for the Gators, who only have to drive a little over an hour, while Athens is roughly a five hour trip.
There’s also the recruiting aspect, which hurts both teams.
“Yeah, absolutely it costs you a recruiting weekend. You don’t get to have anybody, they don’t get to have anybody,” Smart said. “So our version of the LSU-Alabama game is held in Jacksonville and we don’t have prospects. So it’s not conducive to recruiting, absolutely it’s not.”
Georgia and Florida have played in Jacksonville ever year since the 1930s, and both signed a contract in 2017 that will keep the game there through 2021.
“It’s just the way it’s been done here before,” Smart continued. “It’s just not great for recruiting because you lose a home game every other year and that just comes with it. But it certainly helps to have more home games.”
Georgia and Florida meet again this season on November 2nd. The game will be aired at 3:30 on CBS.
