Kirby Smart challenges Tim Tebow on importance of Florida-Georgia rivalry location

It’s been tradition since the start of the college football rivalry between Florida and Georgia to play the game at a neutral site. The rivalry has called Jacksonville home since 1933, with just two exceptions in the mid-90s.

Despite this, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart believes it could be time for a change. Smart made the case for the rivalry to go to a home-and-home format at SEC Media Days on Wednesday, discussing the possibility on SEC Network with former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow said he prefers the game be played in Jacksonville, calling it “one of the best environments” and prompting an interesting response from Smart.

“Why is it one of the best environments? How many times did you play in Athens? None. How many times did we get to play in Gainesville? I think that’s special.”

Even with the rivalry taking place in Florida and the fact that Jacksonville is a little more than an hour drive from Gainesville, Georgia holds a 53-44-2 all-time lead in the series. The Bulldogs have also come out the victor in four of the past five matchups.

One of Smart’s biggest problems with the current location is that it prevents him from inviting recruits to what is typically the biggest game of the season for his program. While Auburn and Alabama have a chance to show off the electrifying atmosphere at the Iron Bowl, the same luxury is not afforded to the Bulldogs and Gators.

“It’s not an advantage for anybody,” Smart said. “Look at the history of it. The team with the better players, the better team usually wins that game and it affects the outcome of the SEC East. It’s more about for me, I’m competing against guys all across the SEC who host kids at their biggest game. When Auburn plays Alabama, guess where the recruits are? They’re at Auburn. And when LSU and Alabama play, that’s where the biggest recruits want to go.

“So it’s an opportunity for us to bring these kids that fly in from all over the country, what game do they want to come see Georgia play? They’d like to see Georgia play Florida. They can’t do that. It’s very important. Recruiting is very important. I just can’t get a Florida coach to agree with me about it.”

Florida-Georgia isn’t the only rivalry in college football to take place at a neutral site. Oklahoma and Texas famously play their annual matchup at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, while the Army-Navy game alternates between Philadelphia and Baltimore. With such a long history of playing in Jacksonville, a change wouldn’t come easily. However, Smart believes it would be for the best.