yahoo
The storied college football rivalry between Florida and Georgia will kick off its two-game, two-year road trip in Atlanta on Saturday, with each school pocketing $9 million for the neutral-site matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The $18 million total payout comes from $7.5 million contributed by venue owner AMB Sports and Entertainment and $1.5 million from the city of Jacksonville, as EverBank Stadium is operating at reduced capacity this fall due to a $1.4 billion renovation project. Next year, when the game is played in Tampa and EverBank Stadium is closed ahead of its 2028 reopening, both schools will receive similar payments.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart downplayed the venue change, stating, "This is always a great tradition, a great game. Obviously the venue has changed. I don't think that matters much to the teams playing in it. For the fan base, it's probably a unique experience for sure." Tickets, split evenly between the two fan bases, are sold out.
First-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall is treating the game as a road contest, noting, "I think you have to know that Atlanta's not necessarily our backyard. But the 50/50 thing is a unique deal that I think is exciting for our guys because you're in a different environment than a normal SEC game, which is fun."
This marks only the second time the rivalry has been played outside Jacksonville; the 1994 and 1995 games were held in Athens and Gainesville due to construction of the Jaguars stadium at the old Gator Bowl site. However, the chance to capitalize on other neutral-site NFL stadiums proved too lucrative to pass up this time.
When the game returns to Jacksonville in 2028, each school will be guaranteed at least $10 million per matchup.
Key Analysis
Traditionally known as The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, this year's matchup carries a more corporate moniker: the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic, thanks to a deal between financial firm Invesco and AMBSE. Last year's Georgia-Georgia Tech game, for which AMBSE paid the Yellow Jackets $10 million to move their biennial home contest against the Bulldogs to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was the first event in the Atlanta Gridiron Classic series.
Florida-Georgia's temporary move is part of a broader trend of neutral-site games in college football. Auburn moved its home game against Baylor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season. Notre Dame's Shamrock Series saw the Fighting Irish play Wisconsin at Lambeau Field last month, and on Saturday Notre Dame and Navy will meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Virginia and West Virginia played in Charlotte last month as part of the Dukes Mayo Classic, and UNC and TCU faced off in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin.
Originally reported by yahoo.