During the off season I wrote about how I thought Georgia’s new Defensive Coordinator would stack up against Florida’s new Offensive Coordinator. As the 2014 game soon approaches Treon Harris will make his first start as a Florida Quarterback. So, oddly enough, my prediction that Roper’s playbook would be limited seems even more likely now.



Fans on both sides of the rivalry seem to agree that Georgia is likely to win it’s fourth in a row this year and Florida Coach Will Muschamp will be fired after this season regardless of the outcome. Georgia narrowly leads the all time rivalry by either a nine games or ten. And, this last point the fans disagree on based on who is counting. It has been an evenly matched rivalry, but a streaky one. Outside of a decade starting in 1963 when the victory was passed back and forth, a seven game roll often seems more likely according to history.



However, another streak is now up for contention. The number of games played in Jacksonville, Florida. Yes, this year and next year, and even the year after that are all definitely going to be played at this neutral Florida-site. We know this because In 2009, a six year contract was signed which means that 2017 is the first possible date to consider making a change. And, wouldn’t you know it? This is the exact same year that Atlanta's new billion dollar stadium replaces the Georgia Dome. The stadium’s retractable roof and state of the art materials were considered an investment in Atlanta’s football future.



If money talks and nobody walks, how can either Georgia or Florida walk away from a facility that is meant to court the Superbowl? Certainly, the same town that hosted the Olympics and is the home of the College Football Hall of Fame might offer some tourist attractions to visiting fans.



Georgia fans know that traveling from Gainesville to Jacksonville is around 70 miles while Athens to Jacksonville is around 340 miles. Remember fairness isn’t the point, and those number don’t really matter, there is only one kind of number that matters. Money matters. Both teams make more money by having a neutral site game at EverBank Field. At least, they used to, because this was calculated using the Georgia Dome’s smaller seating size. Still, the allegedly under-sized Georgia Dome is the annual site of the SEC Championship game, the Chik-Fil-A Bowl as well as many other high profile neutral field match ups in Atlanta.



There are rumored boycotts of this year’s game in Jacksonville by Gator fans who are sick of their Head Coach. While this remains to be seen, a drop in ticket sales and in tourist activity would only help the negotiating position of Georgia toward moving at least half of the games to Atlanta.



The Georgia-Florida game or Florida-Georgia game depending on whose turn it is, used to be called, "The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." If that can change, location can change. I’ll admit, as a biased fan I am hoping this change is made simply because I will be able to attend the games in Atlanta. Either way, I’m glad the streak is currently on the Dogs' side.

