For all my faithful readers who continue to insist that the Dawgs are at a marked disadvantage for the WLOCP because Florida sees it as another home game, I have proof – proof, I tell you – that you’re wrong.
Check out this quote from Florida punter/emergency quarterback Chas Henry:
“If we have two guys go down, what do we do if we’re on the road at LSU or Georgia?” Henry said. [Emphasis added.]
Evidently the Florida players think Jacksonville is located in Georgia. Maybe Coach Richt should take a page out of the same playbook and convince his guys that Florida’s really a home game. He could hardly get worse results for trying, right?
Get The Picture 
As a motivational ploy, I think modified maps posted around the locker room showing Jacksonville as part of Georgia make at least as much sense as black pants and helmets.
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motivational “modified maps posted” like these should be enough to do the trick
http://www.pbase.com/jacksonville_ga/image/53916439
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considering our road record under richt, shouldnt we convince them its in gainesville?
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And on top of that, tell the players that Florida fans have infiltrated the home stadium–an obvious sign of disrespect.
Its us against the world!
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Ummm…you know that Chaz Henry is from the state of Georgia, right?
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Ummm… yes. It says so right in the linked article.
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yeah, but he’s from Paulding County. He probably couldnt find Atlanta on a map. No wonder he has no idea where Jacksonville is. It could be in Spain for all Chas knows.
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Actually, since the kid is from Georgia he grew up viewing the WLOCP as a road game for UGA and has transposed this in his mind.
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I went to high school with Chas. He was in my AP Statistics class. I’m not a dumbass.
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That still doesn’t excuse the fact that we play 5 SEC games away from home every other year.
Move. The. Game.
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But what if we were 17-3 (or whatever the pitiful record is)? Would you still want to move the game Bort?
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Answering for Bort, “No.” If we were 17-3 against them they would be an inferior program to UGA (as FLA used to be) and therefore we could play them as an away game every year. They are not anymore . So why would you give them an advantage like that? Eg. Would you play Vanderbilt in Chatanooga every year? Absolutely. Would you play Bama in Birmingham every year? Absolutely NOT!
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Oops–thats’s “Chattanooga.” P.S. Nobody really would want the Vandy game in Chattanooga. But you could go to Lookout mountain and Ruby Falls, though.
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Actually we play 4 SEC home games in odd years and we play 3 SEC home games in even years.
In odd years we play 4 SEC home games and only 3 SEC games in an opponents home stadium. In even years we play 3 SEC Home games and 4 in an opponent’s stadium.
It evens out. Over the course of the series the best team usually wins. That does not happen every year. Recently we have been on the short end of it. UF has been on the short end of that plenty of times in JAX too. That was just a while back.
Further, how can you say this hurts us when we have a better SEC road record under CMR than we do at home. Are you suggesting that we would win more in Gainesville than we do in Jacksonville???
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I may have gotten the even year-odd year thing reversed (see below). You get the gist of what I mean, though.
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I. Don’t. Want. Those. People. In. Athens. Ever. Again.
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Seriously…. Athens is a beautiful city, even with slobs like LSU fans in town. Gators would defile the city in every way possible and turn it into a riot-zone. I don’t want those heathens in God’s country.
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Agreed. That is why we should play the game in Jacksonville in even numbered years (WLOCP) and at the Georgia dome in odd numbered years (WLICP).
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Spurrier said something similar when he was asked, upon being appointed as Florida Coach, if the game should be moved from Jacksoville to home-and-home.
“Heck, this should be considered to be home game for the Gators. This game is played in Florida, just a 90-minute bus ride from Gainesville, while Jacksonville is a plane trip to another state for the Bulldogs. And they call it the Gator Bowl. Gimme a coupla cracks at them before we start talking about moving the game.”
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+1 Mike!
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And this is what Richt said;
“No, it’s not neutral. When you play in the state of Florida ever year- we fly, they drive; it’s hotter for us, it’s cooler for them. It’s played in a stadium that [used to be called] the Gator Bowl.”
With those kind of comments, Florida players and Georgia players go into the game thinking the Gators have a built in advantage ever year.
Like Sun Tsu said, most battles are won before the fighting starts. Florida has convinced Gator fans, players and coaches and Bulldog fans, players and coaches that Florida has a built in advantage.
Florida does not have an advantage of course, at least not objectively, but if enough people are convinced they do, then part of the battle is won by Florida before they even step on the field.
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OK. So its all mental.Like it or not, the mind influences reality. Change the dynamic. Move the game, not to home and home, but to Jax and Atl in alternate years. That way alums from both schools get a trip each year. The UGA South Georgia crowd would love a long weekend in Atlanta every other year (staying at the Ritz, eating at Bones,etc.), probably as much as they like Ponte Vedra. Plus it is about time we got some money out of the FLA alums for our hotels and restaurants rather than just UGA people giving it all to Florida vendors. Think about it. It makes sense.
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1. People from places like Jesup and Waycross appreciate the game being in Jax, not because it’s an excuse for them to stay in Ponte Vedra, but because one time a year, they get the short drive to the game.
2. Georgia folks don’t give all their money to Florida vendors. Many stay in places like Jekyll Island and Saint Simons. We may want to confirm this with Chas, but last time I looked, those places were located in Georgia.
3. You ignore the fact that the schools make more money in Jax than they would going home and home or playing half the games in Atlanta.
4. The Dome seats fewer people than the stadium in Jax does. That’s neither fan friendly nor as lucrative for the schools.
Other than that, your post makes perfect sense. 😉
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The Senator makes perfect sense. His ability to do that is one reason this Gator like to read his blog, even though it is one dedicated to comings and goings of a hated rival.
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Thanks Mike. As to the Senator’s reply here is my retort: (1) People from places like Dalton and Carrollton might appreciate one time attending a FLA-GA game nearby themselves; (2) Florida folks, as it stands now give absolutely NO money to Georgia vendors but will if my plan is adopted; (3) This isn’t supposed to be about money-it’s supposed to be about winning; and (4) The old Gator bowl did not have as many seats as the Dome but they played there anyway. Also, see #3 above.
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P.S. If the only basis for deciding where to hold the game is money, home and home (which I do not support) would be the obvious choice by far. Jax Mun. Stadium and the GA Dome are both in the low to mid 70,000s. Sanford Stadium-92,746; The Swamp-88,548. Since Sanford stadium is biggest I guess we ought to play the game there every year and split the gate. Do you like that idea, Mike?
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So, it’s not about the money, except when it’s about the money. 😉
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I was responding to you assertion #2 that some Georgia folks spend money in Georgia as justification for the location of the game in J-Ville. Actually, I am for making the decision totally without consideration of $ (see my #3 above). If we did decide based only on $, home and home clearly would be the choice.
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My second point was in response to your comment that “… it is about time we got some money out of the FLA alums for our hotels and restaurants rather than just UGA people giving it all to Florida vendors.”
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Just win the f-ing game
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+1
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Guys, that’s like saying:” Just don’t die from cancer.” You beat cancer by first recognizing that you have it, then getting treatment (chemo, radiation, surgery, etc.). You beat FLA by first recognizing that the venue is a problem (maybe only mental as some suggest but a problem nonetheless) and you eliminate that problem. Why would you give a team that is historically doing as well as FLA is doing (not just against us but also against everybody) an advantage of any kind? I said this in an earlier post: “Would you want UGA to play Bama in Birmingham every time we play them?” No. Playing FLA in J-ville each year is exactly the same thing. The fact that we could get away with it before, when FLA was an inferior program, means nothing now. They are not an inferior program any more.
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Sun Tsu was right about Major. In his mind, the battle is partially won by Florida before either team steps on the field.
Hey Major, I take it you are much younger than the Senator and me. We both became rabid fans of our respective programs back in the 70s. In those days, it was the Gator fans, coaches and players complaining that the Jacksonville venue favored Georgia.
Of course, the venue in those days did not favor Georgia anymore than the same venue today does not favor Florida. Tony Barnhart, a UGA alum, had a good article not too long ago where he wrote about the reasons why Florida has dominated the series for a generation. I cannot do his writing credit, but basically he says that in most those years, Florida had materially better talent than UGA and in some years, materially better coaching.
As for me, when I consider the 17 wins Florida has enjoyed since 1990, I can really only think of 3, maybe 4 times where I thought Georgia might have had better talent, or at least equal talent.
Florida has won 17 of 20 games because most years Florida has had better players and on some occasions, Florida has had better overall coaching.
Georgia dominated in most of the Dooley years because for the most part, Dooley recruited and coached better talent.
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You left out that (at least right now) FLA has a materially better Athletic Director which influences all the other things mentioned in your post.
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P.S. What would Mike be expected to say? He is a FLA fan. He wants the Gators to continue to have the advantage that playing in J-Ville provides. Hey Mike, if venue doesn’t mean anything, why doesn’t FLA play Bama and Auburn in Mobile every time? Or play Miami in Ft. Lauderdale. Sell the snake oil somewhere else.
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It’s a convenient excuse. Even if there were a home field advantage it wouldn’t be worth 30 points.
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If our road record under Richt sucked, I would side with the “move the game” crowd. But it doesn’t. Which means that this game is either mental or we have been getting out-coached (or both). I agree with Prov…just win the freaking game.
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The game isn’t going to be moved so all you whiny bitches can STFU.
Once we win a couple consecutively then all this talk will die down. And I’m aware of our difficulties but the fact remains that Florida (to their credit) has become the team and program that Dooley always feared they would be.
As it stands now, Dawg fans think FL cannot sustain their 20 year success rate and Gator fans think they’ll always be on top with no chance of faltering. But nothing has ever lasted forever and the worm will turn in GA’s favor. And that will have nothing to do with venue but with GA having the better prepared team and playing to it during the game.
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We will find a new excuse this season like we do every year
Weather….wahhhhh
UF is closer….wahhhhh
Our fans are a disgrace at times
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