It’s close. I can feel it.
This is what Steve Spurrier must have meant when he consistently called Florida-Georgia the most important game on the Gators schedule. The rivalry was so important to him, he obsessed over it. The Ol’ Ball Coach became the first Florida coach to beat Georgia seven straight times. Florida dominated Georgia so thoroughly in the 1990s, they essentially removed the rivalry from the national landscape. Florida-Georgia became an afterthought as Tennessee became the new division rival. Since 1990, Georgia has only beaten Florida three times and the teams play each other every year.
Fast forward to last year and you’ll find this is no longer the case. Last year, Georgia was considered by many to be the best team in the nation. They manhandled the University of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and finished up the season ranked number two. And on Oct 27, 2007, Florida coach Urban Meyer learned firsthand just how nasty this rivalry can be.
The story goes that Georgia head coach Mark Richt told his players that he wanted to see some animation and excitement when they scored their first touchdown against the Gators. It is unclear to what extent Richt actually encouraged his players to parade on to the field upon doing so. Only the people in that locker room know for sure.
That now infamous celebration will assuredly go down in the rich lore that is the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Georgia received a 15-yard penalty on their way to beating the Gators, 42-30, and handed Coach Meyer his first division loss of the year.
Urban Meyer, nor his Gator team, have forgotten about that day. As if the rivalry isn’t heated enough, this incident added kerosene to the fire. This week, Coach Meyer issued a gag order on his players so that when asked by the media about last year, no player would provide Georgia with bulletin board fodder. While the flippant Richt stills smirks when asked about what happened, Meyer does not. He even referenced the celebration in his latest biography, calling it a “big deal.”
I’ve been to the Florida-Georgia game several times. The rivalry is as heated and spiteful as Red Sox-Yankees, Florida State-Miami, Ohio State-Michigan or Duke-North Carolina basketball. The game is held at a neutral site for a reason. The fans of the opposing schools simply do not like one another. The mere mention of the other warrants a fierce reaction. That combined with the massive consumption of alcohol generally leads to a series of annual unfortunate events and arrests.
For years, Florida fans had forgotten about that hatred since the outcomes had been so one-sided. Georgia fans had not.
Yet this year is different. Florida and their fans now understand Georgia is not a team to be taken lightly. And Florida will likely have a few surprises in store. Credit Richt for restoring one of the finer rivalries in college football. On Saturday, the nation will find out if his football team is ready to back up last year’s boldness.
I’d like to say more but a gag order has been issued.
