Kirby Smart Open to Idea of Moving Georgia-Florida Game From Jacksonville

Death, Taxes, and the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in Jacksonville between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators.

Since 1933, Bulldogs and Gators fans have flocked to Jacksonville for the annual rivalry game, with bragging rights and SEC East implications on the line. Fans have given little second thought to the game's status as a Jacksonville event, with the exception of a two-year stretch between 1994-95 when the game was temporarily played on campus sites. But UGA coach Kirby Smart is open to a permanent change.

"It's just something that we're all thinking about," Smart told Paul Finebaum on moving the game to campuses. "We got official visits happening in the season, and we lose a really big opportunity to have official visits come to our campus."

There is no doubt that moving the game to Athens and Gainesville could help the Bulldogs and their fans, who currently have to make the five hour drive to the Duval County, compared to the 90-minutes that UF has to travel.

But tradition, including the practice of splitting the fanbases in the stadium 50-50, could make the contest difficult to pry from Jacksonville.

It also cannot be forgotten that Alabama and Auburn contested the Iron Bowl at Birmingham's Legion Field until the 90s, and both teams moved their "home" games to their own stadiums. Even as that rivalry looked certain to remain in a central location for the foreseeable future at one point, it moved out, so the Cocktail Party could always take a similar turn.