I have no idea what the UGA Athletic Board will decide to do today about keeping the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville, but did want to point out this exceedingly strange argument raised by Jeff Schultz that I assume is inspired by the meeting:
… The contract with Jacksonville runs through 2010, and given that everybody is making a lot of money — a factor at least as important as “tradition,” despite what you may hear — I suspect that’s where the game will stay.
But it shouldn’t. At least not every year. The Georgia-Florida game should be held every other year on the Georgia or Florida campus.
I know. What a novel idea, right? College football on an actual college campus.
This isn’t about some perceived home-field advantage the Gators have playing the game in Jacksonville. Florida has won most of the time in the past two decades because it has had the better team — not because the Gators can bus to the game. And I certainly don’t see the attraction to holding the game at the Georgia Dome, just for the sake of moving it over the border once in a while.
This is about what college football truly is supposed to be about: the campus atmosphere, the student section, the home-field advantage with a small section or two of visiting fans dwarfed by everybody else in the stadium.
Tell that to Georgia State, Jeff.
Besides, what about this tradition?
Evans and Adams previously have said UGA is open to all options but is reluctant to move the game because of its tradition in Jacksonville, where it has been played for all but two years since 1933.
It’s not like Georgia is playing a slew of neutral site games (nor could it afford to, in all probability, even if it wanted to). But if we take Schultz’ logic to its ultimate extreme, we’d be ditching the WLOCP, the Red River Shootout and the Army-Navy game, all in the name of “tradition”. Does that actually make sense to anybody?
Get The Picture 
Keep it in Jacksonville. We get half the tickets, so how can that equate to a ‘home field advantage’ ? Doesn’t Jacksonville have one of the largest Bulldog clubs?
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Yeah, and we should we play Auburn in Piedmont Park. Why did we ever change that tradition?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_South%27s_Oldest_Rivalry
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Upon further review, the Ga/Aub game has been played in Columbus, GA more times than it has been played in either Auburn or Athens.
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What does that have to do with this? Nobody’s arguing that Georgia should play more of its rivals at a neutral site.
Schultz’ argument is that all neutral site games, regardless of how long they’ve been played that way should be moved on campus “for tradition”. That’s a silly argument.
While you’re checking Wikipedia, why don’t you see how many schools have played their home games at off campus sites? I suppose Schultz thinks those schools should build their own stadiums on campus, or call off the season, because that’s what “tradition” requires.
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What’s even sillier is that he’s probably in favor of Georgia playing at the Dome in that Chick-fil-a thingy.
Just win, wherever it’s played.
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My point is that some traditions, like GA vs Aub in Columbus can end.
Tradition alone isn’t a good enough reason to continue playing at any site. Ask Miami about that great Orange Bowl tradition. Would Miami rather play on campus? I’m sure they have 500 million reasons to pay rent at Joe Robie Stadium- or whatever its called.
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Jeff Schultz? A lousy column? Really?
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Keep sticking your head in the sand, all in the name of a good party. I mean that’s what it’s all about right – get smashed on the Landing.
For the past few years, Georgia has started a new tradition of giving up 40+ points per game. While we’re at it let’s keep Willie around just for tradition’s sake.
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With all due respect, I think you’re missing the point here. I’m not arguing the pros and cons of Jax. I simply think it’s ludicrous to argue for ending a 76-year old arrangement on the basis of “tradition”.
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By “past few years,” you mean “one”?
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UT 2006 51 pts
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I think it’s absurd to argue to keep the game in Jacksonville because of “tradition.” Jacksonville is a shitty city, what is so hard to understand about that? So what if it’s been there for 70-something years? I swear, some of you I don’t get…. “NOOOO!! We can’t move it!! It’s been there for so long!” So what? It’s an old stadium with no endearing qualities, a miserable city without the capability of handling the size crowd that comes down there, and all of us are tailgating under the highway adjacent to a ghetto.
Sometimes, change is good. I just can’t understand why more people aren’t on board to moving it to a better location. I think some of you are just scared that the Gator fans will taunt you that we moved out there when they were winning.
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UGA fans go to St. Simons, Sea Island and Ponte Vedra. It is a fall-spring break.
They spend 4 hours in Jacksonville.
Yes the city itself is a dump, but that is where the stadium is.
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OK, gd85, so where should they move the Sugar Bowl? 😉
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Or where should we move the Georgia Dome and Turner Field and Yankee Stadium and Citi Field for that matter? If you’ve been to any of those stadiums you end up tailgating under an overpass near a ghetto, in an area of the city that is pretty bad, and no “endearing qualities” of which to speak. There are valid reasons for moving the game out of Jacksonville, but those cited by gd85 aren’t very rational.
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GAdawg85,
stfu- you have likely seen 5% of jacksonville and the first coast. Like the Dome is in a respectable area. If you don’t like it here than stay the hell in Atlanta with the rest of the lemmings stuck in their cars and breathing the smog.
I’ll take my beaches, golf courses, and historic neighborhoods and quaint business districts.
But hey, you can always go to Lenox.
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no sh*t coach.
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I see that some of you are ragging on my home and I feel compelled to weigh in.
First, the majority of Ga fans do spend the majority of their time in the above-mentioned SSI, PV, and SI. All beautiful places. And yes, our stadium is located near downtown, and you have to drive through some unsightly areas to get to it and park near it. However, do you guys think the Dome is in a great area? I don’t recall Fulton Cty Stadium located off of Powers Ferry. And no, Westminster’s football stadium can’t hold this game.
Most of you guys have spent a maximum of 5 hours in Jacksonville proper and no have clue about Avondale, San Marco, Ortega, etc, etc. Much like many outsiders who label Atlanta as a maggot infested thug paradise just b/c they’ve seen downtown.
Don’t be so obtuse. This is a beautiful city with a cool river and great weather. But it’s not Atlanta…….thank God.
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JaxDawg-
Like any city the stadium is in a crappy area. That’s where the cheap land is. I have several college friends form Jax and they all lived in the Sam Marco, Ortega etc… areas. Those areas are very nice and especially sweet if you have a friend with a nice house on the river. There are plenty of bars not located on the Landing.
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William,
Hopefully these same friends will show you around the town sometime. Make sure you see Bistro Aix and Orsay.
But to be clear, the land on which the stadium sits is incredibly pricey. The cost basis is very low (obviously) but the market value on most any parcel located on the St. Johns is very expensive – which makes this an anomaly for most cities.
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Just remember guys, just because the owner of the Jaguars would draft Tebow solely for ticket sales doesn’t mean Jax is a Gator town!!!
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All of you are missing the point. The game should be played where it maximizes the chances of a UGA win. That has been the way the Gator Nation has approached it, at least after Spurrier arrived. Aren’t UGA fans being selfish when we are willing to put our team in the position of having to play an away game (that’s really what it is) every year against one of the best teams in the country? If you’ll remember there have been a good number of years in the last 15 or so that UGA clearly had better teams but still lost to the Gators. What’s wrong with making the Gators drag their butts on an airplane, stay in a hotel and eat hotel food before playing the Dawgs instead of riding in a bus for an hour and a half? This as much a home game for them as playing in Birmingham is a home game for Bama,
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Careful Mayor, you’re dangerously close to making a logical point on this issue. Prepare to be ridiculed….
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And if somebody wants to play golf on Sea Island, why not just go to play golf on Sea Island? You don’t need a football game as an excuse to go down there. If the Dawgs get whacked it spoils the weekend, so how much fun is it really? Why not play golf somewhere else and have the Dawgs win? The Gators are good enough that we don’t need to be giving them any help ourselves.
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+ 10 for Mayor of Dawgtown. I agree.
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LMAO every time I read somebody say that we get half the tickets so how is that a home field advantage? I have been when we were winning and I have been we we were losing. I won’t go back until there is a trend of winning games consecutively. I don’t think its fun win we lose and a bunch of drunk Gators get in my face and spout off about the ass whooping we just took. And to top that all off, I have to drive home to Atlanta after that.
You want a golf or beach vacation, go take one. At least it won’t be followed by a loss. LMAO on that one too. But I want to go play golf and get drunk and act like I am still in college. Thats funny. But hey, yall will get what you wish for even though the coach of the team that you are going down to Jax for wants it another way. Lets keep the tradition of getting our butts beat every year. And we don’t want those Gators laughing at us for retreating. Thats some more funny shi**. Better them laughing at that than in your face when they continually beat us. Sure, just win sounds great, but so far it ain’t working.
NEW FLASH A-HOLES, its not about your vacation, its about a game.
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Amen, Keith.
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No, it’s about fixing what’s wrong with the team when it plays the Gators, not where the game is played.
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These are all based on the idea that Sanford Stadium is a fantastic home field advantage. I honestly don’t see we play any better between the hedges than we do on the road or anywhere else. Are any of you the same people who would tout CMR’s road record as a point of pride? Maybe we should play in the swamp every year. Do you really think we would play better at home? For every Blackout you have I have a Vandy ’06.
Anybody who says that moving the game to campus sites as if that will guarantee us more wins is kidding themselves.
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Or, I guess I forgot about the other “Blackout”. That serves my point as well.
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Georgia/Florida in Jacksonville is not only a great Georgia tradition, it is a VERY SPECIAL great tradition. For us. Not to mention every football fan AND potential recruit around the country. How many times have I read a quote from a potential or signed blue chipper from outside our state that has mentioned seeing the Georgia/Florida game in Jax on national tv? And the bowl game excitement it ALWAYS HAS; and, that, my fellow hirsute canines, comes thru into living rooms and dens.
Would you shoot Grandma in the head so you wouldn’t have to go to Thanksgiving at her house in Ashville? Cause you’d rather have your wife cook at home and have Aunt Pearl heat up frozen dinners in Gainesville on alternate years??
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On that note, check out this article:
http://jacksonville.com/sports/high_school/2009-09-16/story/first_coast_high_school_football_best_of_the_best
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That might be the best analogy for this situation I’ve every seen. +100 cocktails to you, sir!
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Hey Frank, aren’t you glad all those recruits get to see the very special great tradition called a beat down that we are taking in Jax.
And there you have it, another one of those asinine reasons not to move the game.
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oh god, now i’ve hurt somebody who lives in jax’s little feelings. Spare me. The Georgia Dome might not be on fifth avenue either, but the city of Atlanta is leaps and bounds better than Jacksonville, and if you want to argue with that… well, you go right ahead and argue until you’re blue in the face.
It’s not just that the stadium is in a poor location, Jacksonville just isn’t much of a town, which is why UGA fans end up partying in St. Simons. Why not have the game in a city where you won’t feel compelled to go party elsewhere? The Georgia Dome might not be on park avenue either, but there are infinitely better options within the city than there are in jax. And I might add, even the Georgia Dome has better options for tailgating than Jacksonville, as those of you who have been there for a chick-fil-a-bowl or kickoff classic can attest.
I’m just saying… the WLOCP is one of the best rivalry games with the best attending crowd in the nation. Doesn’t it deserve better?
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Ok this “we should move the game because we lose” bullsh*t is weak. Obviously none of you are over the age of 20 or you would remember the beat downs that the Dawgs handed to the ‘Turds on a yearly basis during the Dooley years. For Pete’s sake we are 3-16 over the last 19 years and we STILL lead the series overall.
The Goff/Donnan years were a matter of Florida having better players and better coaching, not the fact that they don’t have to travel to the game. Since CMR came to UGA our record is 2-6, but for a Terrance Edwards drop and a DJ Shockley knee could be at worst 4-4.
If you want to argue about an inequity in the rivaly then complain about the fact that UF had a bye week for the majority of those years the week prior to the game. When you have two relatively evenly matched teams and one gets an extra week to rest and prepare you are going to lose more of those than you win. FYI our wins in ’04 and ’07 were when we had a bye the week before and UF played.
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Site selection for the game and scheduling so that one team has an advantage is exactly how the Gators got the upper hand in the series. Now it is up to us to reverse that by taking action. We did get rid of the Gators having an extra week of practice (in fact WE have an extra week of practice this year). Maybe that will be enough. However,I am afraid we will all be writing the same things in 2016.
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