"Absolutely terrible" "Just play home": CFB world reacts to Florida-Georgia game's venue change decision

Every year, the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators compete in a rivalry game in Jacksonville. This year, the game will take place on Saturday, with the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) and Florida Gators (4-3) competing for the 113th time. However, there will be a change in venue for 2026 and 2027.

The game between Georgia and Florida for those two years will not be held in Jacksonville. Instead, it will be played in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027. The EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville will not be hosting the matchup because it will be undergoing renovations.

The game will be held at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2026 and Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in 2027. Afterward, the matchup is expected to return to Jacksonville, starting in 2028.

A lot of fans have not reacted well to this announcement, with many calling for the games to be hosted in the home cities of Georgia and Florida.

"Just play home & home at this point," one fan wrote.

"Absolutely terrible," one fan commented.

"I think those involved with keeping the UF-UGA game at neutral sites while the Bank is renovated were afraid that making it a home and home would be a major success and people would want to keep it that way," one fan added.

Other fans did not express anger but instead expressed disappointment in the decision.

"A disappointing decision No-brainer to play home games for 2 years (It should stay alternating home games forever, but...)," one fan wrote.

"They should have done a home and home. Huge missed opportunity," one fan commented.

"Just play it home and home. I can't take neutral site rivalry games seriously," one fan added.

Will this be the first time the Georgia vs. Florida game will not be held in Jacksonville?

Since 1926, the Bulldogs and Gators have competed annually, and Jacksonville has always been the host city, except in 1994 and 1995. In those years, the games were moved to each team's university campus.

This will be the first time that Atlanta will host the rivalry. However, Tampa did host the game in 1919.

The Georgia Bulldogs have accumulated a 55-44-2 record against the Florida Gators since the first game was played in 1915.

The Bulldogs have dominated the rivalry lately, winning six of the last seven matchups. They have won three games in a row, including a dominant 43-20 win last season. The Gators last won in 2020 when it won 44-28.