On the banks of the St. John’s

The Athletic’s Florida beat writer ranks the Gators’ soon to be fifteen conference opponents in order of priority ($$).  Georgia is, of course, first.  Here’s what he writes about the rivalry:

Alongside the Iron Bowl, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is a must-save rivalry — guaranteed to remain a yearly event even if the SEC wrong-headedly chooses the eight-game model with only one permanent opponent. These schools go head-to-head for recruits and division titles, and the fan bases go at one another even harder. It’s a series so combative, the schools can’t even agree on how many times they played. (Florida lists 99 meetings, whereas Georgia tallies 100, counting the 52-0 win in 1904 over a team from Florida Agriculture College.)

Whatever the number, this border war is thick with moments. From “Run, Lindsay, Run” salvaging Georgia’s national championship in 1980, to Guss Scott’s pick six derailing the Bulldogs’ title hopes in 2002. From Steve Spurrier the quarterback tossing three interceptions in 1966 to Spurrier the coach hanging “half a hundred” on Georgia in ’95. From Jack Youngblood’s goal-line strip in 1970 to the trickery of Appleby-to-Washington five years later.

The unique neutral-site atmosphere is a festival, though there are occasional rumblings about leaving Jacksonville so that teams can host recruits on a home-and-home rotation. My guess is that when major-college football separates from the NCAA in a few years, neutral-site games like this one and Texas-Oklahoma no longer will face that obstacle. And we can keep enjoying these hellacious meetups on the St. John’s River each fall.

It amazes me to see some argue that one more recruiting day every other season trumps the rich history of the series.  (Especially when Smart is already killing it on the recruiting trail and Florida… er, hasn’t been.)