Billy Napier, Kirby Smart react to Florida-Georgia move to Atlanta, Tampa
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the second time in the history of the rivalry series, the Florida-Georgia game will be moved due to construction on the stadium in Jacksonville. This time around, however, there won’t be a home-and-home series.
The game is moving to Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) in 2026 and Tampa (Raymond James Stadium) in 2027 while EverBank Stadium undergoes renovations. The news broke on Wednesday and was first reported by Brett McMurphy.
The game was also moved in 1994 and 1995 when the old Gator Bowl was demolished and rebuilt for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two teams played in Gainesville and Athens during those seasons for the first time since 1931 and 1932.
Florida and Georgia fans alike were hoping for another home-and-home series in a couple years, and so too was UF coach Billy Napier and UGA coach Kirby Smart, who wanted to have a recruiting weekend for the game in Athens.
However, more revenue opportunities trump more recruiting opportunities.
“Look, Kirby and I probably both agree that it would be awesome to play a home and home. But we also know that there’s a tremendous amount of revenue created by having this in a neutral site, right? So, money makes the world go round,” Napier said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference.
“And certainly, the amount of revenue, there’s a significant difference in the revenue that’s generated. So, we play in Jacksonville. There is a historical context to that, but there’s also a revenue component as well and I think the neutral sites will present those same revenue opportunities and that’s ultimately why the decision was made.”
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The bottom line is that both athletic departments will make more money from the payout for neutral-site games in Atlanta and Tampa (getting paid twice) than what they would from one home game in the series.
Smart also shared his reaction to the news on the SEC teleconference.
“I really hadn’t been involved in those discussions. I think that was a consideration maybe (a home-and-home series), but I don’t even remember when, and I can’t even tell you why it did go one way or the other, to be honest with you,” Smart said.
“It’s been talked about and debated for a long time. For a while, since we’ve known the Jacksonville renovation was gonna occur. And I think the parties involved did a great job of managing it. I think Jacksonville did a great job stepping up and making it worthwhile for both universities. And excited about the opportunity to play at two different locations, so that’ll be unique and maybe we learn from those two experiences.”
Georgia leads the all-time series 55–44–2. The Bulldogs and Gators renew their rivalry Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
