Money drives the decision to keep Florida-Georgia away from home campuses

Since 1933, Florida and Georgia have shown up to Jacksonville every year to play a spirited game of football. After the game rotated from 1915 through 1932, the two schools settled down in a neutral site, which is one of the few neutral site games left in college football.

With the stadium in Jacksonville set to undergo renovations, the two schools needed to find a new home for the game in 2026 and 2027. And rather than do the common sense thing, both schools agreed to chase dollar signs instead.

Florida Football: Money Over Everything

The common-sense solution would be to play the games on campus in 2026 and 2027. Kirby Smart has been a big proponent of permanently doing this, and it is what the two schools did in 1994 and 1995 when Jacksonville wasn't available, also due to stadium renovations.

But this is 2024, and if one thought schools in the SEC were going to leave money on the table, then I have oceanfront property in Arizona to sell while we are at it.

In 2026, the game will be played in Atlanta, while the 2027 game will be played in Tampa.

When asked about his thoughts about where the game should be played, Billy Napier said the quiet part out loud:

"Well, I mean, I think we've been asked this question. This is about the 50th time I've been asked this question. Look, I mean, Kirby and I probably both agree that it'd be awesome to play home-and-home, but we also know that there's a tremendous amount of revenue created by having this game in a neutral site, right?

So money makes the world go around, and certainly the amount of revenue, there's a significant difference in the revenue that's generated, right? So, we play in Jacksonville, there is an historical context to that, but there's also a revenue component as well, and I think the neutral site will present those same revenue opportunities, and that's ultimately why the decision was made."

Now, if you are confused about how playing in Raymond James Stadium, which has a listed capacity that is 18,000 people less than The Swamp, generates more money, let's just say there are a ton of backdoor ways the city of Tampa is going to funnel money to the two programs in exchange for hosting the game. The same goes for when they play in Atlanta, and it's the same reason the game has stayed in Jacksonville.

And there is probably a fear from both athletic departments that if they moved the games on campus, fans would start looking around and ask, "Why exactly are we playing in Jacksonville every year?" The reality is that playing in Jacksonville gatekeeps who is able to attend the game. Even if a brand new set of Florida fans attended each year, that's still 26,000 fans who get cut out who would otherwise attend a game in The Swamp.

But again, money.

Why have we expanded playoffs in college football?

Money.

Why does the Big Ten have 18 teams?

Money.

And why are the Gators playing in Tampa rather than Gainesville?

Money.