WLOCP

As everyone knows, a number of Georgia supporters have voiced their dislike for the game being played in Jacksonville every year. It’s a topic that has been beaten to death but some continue to piss and moan despite the contract in Jacksonville being extended. I don’t blame the losers who complain. When things get hard a lot of losers look for excuses. Retreating to the beautiful Georgia Dome after losing 16 out of 19 would really say a lot about how big boy Georgia is.

Even though the dimensions of the field didn’t change and both teams are still allowed to play with 11, it became unfair somewhere along the line. Or it might just be the fact that Steve Spurrier came along. When it was Spurrier the player, Georgia dominated Florida and everyone loved The Gator Bowl. When it became Spurrier the Coach, Florida raised the bar and turned into the power it should have always been. Three National titles and two Heisman trophies later they are arguably the best program in the country. Manning never beat Florida and he didn’t play in Jacksonville. LSU is 5-14 in the last 19 meetings and half of those have been in Baton Rouge. Florida has just been a better football team everywhere over the past 2 decades. FSU and Miami being down of late hasn't made things better either. Florida isn’t going backwards anytime soon and that’s a good thing. When Georgia is able to compete every year in Jacksonville it will also mean competing on the national landscape year in, year out. Georgia should fully expect to be on the level of a Florida just like Spurrier felt Florida should be on ours.

AJC- May 22, 2009
BUCK BELUE, 1978-81
Count me among those who would hate to see it moved just because the Gators have owned the series the last 20 years. I don’t buy that it’s a home-field edge for Florida. The last time I checked that stadium was divided right down the middle, half Georgia and half Florida. And I’m not buying this stuff about the Gators having a travel edge with a bus ride over from Gainesville, either. What’s the flight down from Athens? An hour?
And come to think of it, this is a fans’ game in Jacksonville. Friends and families have been gathering for decades in Jacksonville to see the ‘Dogs and Gators go at it. And the game atmosphere for the players is second to none. It’s special just like it is.

JOHN LASTINGER, 1980-83
I’d be on the side that thinks the game should remain in Jacksonville. Obviously, most of my opinion was formed from 1980-1983 when I was playing. But I never felt like — and I think I can speak for my teammates — we were at a disadvantage by having to travel to Jacksonville back then.
Being from Valdosta, I learned in a hurry how important the game is to the South Georgia fan base. It is truly one of the great traditions in all of college football — and I think we should respect that and all that goes with it.

DANNY WUERFFEL, 1993-96
During my sophomore and junior years at Florida, the stadium in Jacksonville was being renovated for the Jaguars, and I had a unique opportunity — I played games in Gainesville and Athens.
Many of the details of the alternating home games have gotten lost in my mind with the dozens of other home and away games in which I had participated. The games that stand out, for lots of different reasons, were in Jacksonville.
The splitting of the stands evenly between Gators and Dawgs, the excitement of a neutral field, the enthusiasm of the fans as part of “the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party” and the significance of the rivalry all combined to provide one of the most unique and memorable college football venues ever.


Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville is the greatest spectacle in College Football. There is nothing like it and a bunch of lame excuses by orange peelers will never change that.