The Florida-Georgia game is an amazing tradition in itself. An annual border war between two proud states and proud football programs. One of the very few annual rivalry games played on a neutral site.
Many fans would say that the game formerly known as the World's Largest Cocktail party is perfect the way it is. It's a great lead-in to the final stretch of the season and played when the weather in late-October/early-November is just about perfect. But what if it was actually perfect for three years, but then quickly replaced for no good reason?
#5: McNeely’s Fake Field Goal!
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) October 28, 2022
As massive underdogs and already down 7-0 in 2014, Will Muschamp shocked Georgia with this fake field goal run by holder Michael McNeely. The #Gators ran off 31 straight points in a 38-20 stunner over the Dawgs. pic.twitter.com/jvoPhazaVK
What did you notice in that clip besides the Georgia special teams being caught with their pants down? Look at the uniforms. Florida wearing its home blue and Georgia wearing its home red on the same field at the same time. Doesn't it look glorious? So, why did they take it away?
From 2014-2016 the Florida-Georgia game looked amazing
After years of having a traditional home vs. road uniform matchup, the Gators and Bulldogs decided to experiment with a color vs. color look and it made perfect sense. Not only was it visually appealing, but it fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the stadium. For those who've never seen the Florida-Georgia crowd up close, it's such a sight for the eyes. Half of the stadium is in blue and half is in red. It's cut off right in the middle, so everyone knows which side is which.
Many rivalries already do color vs. color. USC-UCLA returned to the look several years ago. Missouri and Arkansas used to do it. Utah and BYU have done it before, and in those cases it works because the colors contrast each other so well. It made too much sense to start the tradition and just as much sense to keep it.
So, why did it end?
Florida won all three color vs. color games against Georgia
Let's be honest, it ended because the Gators were giving the Bulldogs the business. All three games were dominant Florida victories. In 2014, they slapped Georgia around for over 400 rushing yards, and it was even worse in 2015, when a 27-3 Gators win basically ended Mark Richt's tenure with the Bulldogs.
Then Kirby Smart came in the following year and got his rude introduction to the series. After that, Georgia cried for mercy. They were looking for any excuse to justify the reasons that the Gators were taking the Bulldogs behind the woodshed and the amazing uniform combo was sacrificed.
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But enough of Georgia's hurt feelings. The fans were the ones that demanded color vs. color, and they are the reason they should return when the game gets back to Jacksonville. Let Georgia wear the home jerseys this season in Atlanta and let Florida wear the home blues next year in Tampa. Then let's go back to blue vs. red in 2028.
It's a tradition that was right when it happened and never should have ended.
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