THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATHENS, Ga. - Forget Atlanta or going back to campus. The annual Georgia-Florida football game is staying in Jacksonville.
The Georgia athletic board endorsed a new six-year contract Wednesday that would keep the game formerly known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in the northeast Florida city through 2016. Athletic director Damon Evans can now finalize negotiations with the city of Jacksonville and Florida officials, nothing more than a formality.
"What really stood out to me was the rich tradition and history of this game," Evans said. "This game has been played in Jacksonville for 75-plus years. I truly believe it is one of the top 10 rivalries in the country. Moreover, I think it is part of the fabric of college football."
The current deal ends after the 2010 game, and there was speculation Georgia might want to play the Gators at Sanford Stadium in alternating years instead of 84,000-seat Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on an annual basis. Also, officials in Atlanta had proposed playing the game at least once every four years at the Georgia Dome - much closer to Georgia's Athens campus.
But Jacksonville officials made a major concession when they agreed to subsidize Georgia's travel costs, chartering three planes to fly the team directly from Athens to Jacksonville. That arrangement will actually begin next season, one year before the new contract takes effect.
"The city of Jacksonville is stepping up," said executive associate athletic director Frank Crumley. "Our travel time will actually be shorter than Florida's travel time is."
