Gawd bless Champ Bailey, who, in response to a question about the Cocktail Party’s neutral-site nature, had this to say:
… I did get to see a point in the mid-nineties, I think they were renovating the stadium in Jacksonville, so we got to see it in Athens one year and in Gainesville one year, so that was kind of unique. I don’t know, it’s just something special playing in a neutral site. Georgia-Florida, neutral site, long border, big rivalry game. Why not play at a neutral site? I love those type of traditions in football. So why mess up a good thing?
Indeed.
Then again, maybe Champ’s secretly taken up golf.
Get The Picture 
If he’s playing it, he’s dominating it. Driving, chipping, putting, everything.
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Couldn’t agree more Champ.
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I completely agree w/ Champ. The game in Jax is AWESOME!
For starters the whole notion about home field & travel is a moot point. If the game is in Athens, the players would meet at BM Fri afternoon for a meeting, trip to dinner & a movie, then go to a hotel. Not their dorm/apt/rental house, a hotel. Not much different from playing in Jax, Auburn, going up the road to Clemson, … etc.
Secondly, it’s a ton of fun to play in that atmosphere & the players absolutely love it. Cresting the bridge over the St John’s & seeing the sea of color is hard to explain. Simply it gets you so excited to play you can’t imagine. When the bus doors open & the wave of bourbon filled air comes in just adds to the unique experience. You don’t get that any other game.
Once on the field it’s a game, the field doesn’t affect the outcome, nor will the fact that half the tickets were allocated to UF. The noise is at a constant buzz. Just like in Athens or any other stadium.
This whole argument started when Spurrier started whipping us & instead of being man, or woman, enough to admit we were failing we had to make a pitiful excuse about the location.
Stop it! Just stop it & enjoy one of the last true neutral site games left.
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Nicely done!
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Atlas I have wondered from some of your posts. If you do not mind me asking, ar3cyou a former UGA football player?
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Agreed Atlas.
I have family that played for another SEC team, and the routine is spot on.
Further UF takes a bus to Jax, and UGA flies out of Athens which given the size of Football players, the chartered plane is likely more comfortable and travel time campus to hotel is actually rather close last I read.
I was at the last UF/UGA game played in Athens. Keep it in Jax.
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If I’m not mistaken, I think he has stated here that he was indeed.
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Perfectly said, Atlas! Why mess up one of the few remaining things that makes college football special?
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Well, if the atmosphere is so great in Jax, wouldn’t it be exponentially greater in Atl @MBS?
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Gag. No. Give me an open air stadium on the St. John’s anytime over Atlanta.
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This was a sarcastic question, right?
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