Florida and Georgia fans are furious with today’s venue for several reasons, but one stands out

The Florida Gators are always orange and blue. The Georgia Bulldogs are always red and black.

Other than that? Nothing will be recognizable about today’s annual SEC rivalry game. And I mean Nothing.

For starters, the game won’t be in Jacksonville for the first time in three decades. He will not return to Duval until 2028 due to stadium renovations. Today it will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Next year it will be in Tampa.

The name of the game itself has also undergone major changes. For years it was known as “the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party”. Fans still affectionately call it that even though the NCAA changed it…for obvious reasons.

Florida fans leave early during a lopsided loss to Georgia in the annual Florida-Georgia rivalry game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. The Florida Gators fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 34-7. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

This year, arguably the biggest rivalry game in the SEC outside of LSU-‘Bama will arguably be known as — and I hope you’re sitting down for this — the “Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic.”

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Rolls straight off the tongue!

So yes, a lot has changed. None of this is particularly good. Perhaps the most controversial change right now? The roof of the Mercedes-Benz stadium, which will be farm this afternoon despite glorious weather conditions in Atlanta.

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Fans of both teams – divided on just about everything else – were firmly united in this one.

They hate it:

STINK Neutral Site Gaming

I could go on and on. Nobody is happy right now. Again, these two fans hate each other, but they’ve found real common ground when it comes to this year’s game.

By the way, I’m with them. Frankly, I think this game should be in Athens, and I think next year’s game should be in Gainesville before returning to Jacksonville in 2028. It seemed like a no-brainer to me.

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But the schools decided to play at a neutral site because, I guess, company checks hit the bank account a little differently. It’s important in today’s NIL world, you know?

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, October 26, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Personally, I think neutral site games in college football are just awful. They stink. The best thing college football has to offer is the campus atmosphere. That’s why we love it, right? This is what makes College GameDay and Big Noon Kickoff great. This is why the College Football Playoff is great, at least for the first round.

But over the past decade, there has been a shift toward neutral-site games. We see it all the time during season openings. There’s just no juice. No spark. It doesn’t quite strike the same thing.

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A general view of the Georgia and Florida helmets before the start of a game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on November 2, 2024. (Getty Images)

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And don’t get me started on international games. Throw them in the trash and throw the bag in a landfill. There’s nothing worse than an international college football game. Nothing.

Give me a break.

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Either way, Happy Florida-Georgia Day to all who celebrate it!

No need for sunglasses in Atlanta this afternoon.