The Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles planned home-and-home football series may be shifting to a neutral-site matchup instead.
According to a report from the Athens Banner-Herald, the two schools are exploring the possibility of playing in Tampa, Fla., during the 2028 season. Georgia was the school that initiated the discussions, which remain ongoing.
As it stands, the Bulldogs are set to visit Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla, on Sept. 4, 2027, with the Seminoles scheduled to return the trip to Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. on Sept. 16, 2028. Those games were originally announced in 2019 and carry a $2 million cancellation fee for each game.
“We’re going to take it one year at a time right now,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in September when asked about future nonconference games against Power Four opponents. “The first focus is going to be on ’26 and then ’27 and moving on.”
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Georgia approached Louisville about modifying their home-and-home series that was scheduled for 2026 and 2027. The two schools will not play in 2026 or 2027, but will “…look to play each other in a neutral site game on a later date.”
Following the SEC and ACC both announcing moves to nine-game conference schedules plus continuing to require one power non-conference opponent, expect to see more scheduling changes in the near future. One reason for that is the home/away imbalance, which combined with previously scheduled non-conference games, could have some teams on the road for 50% of their regular-season games.
That’s not ideal for most power teams, who wish to have seven or even eight home games each season for financial reasons.
Football Schedules
Hate this bs
Why! Why! Why!
Neutral site games are the bane of college football. It cheats fans not to play games on campus. College football is all about games on campus and experiences for players and fans. Especially a game against perceived top notch teams.
Is Georgia trying to emulate Saban and Alabama playing “name” teams at a neutral site thinking this a way to get to the national championship.
You’re right—I was at Alabama-Notre Dame a long time ago. A hiigh school friend was anundergrad there and I git to use Kevin Holtz’s ticket because Kevin had to be John Dockery’s sideline guide–the guy that carroed the cords around.
There were tons of Alamaba fans there–they got there early, walked the campus with their red Bama sweatshirts and interacted with the ND fans.
The tailgate was great–we partied right next to many and we had great conversations and the old “if you come to Tuscaloosa,” look me up convos.
I went to a ND-Maryland Kickoff Classic game at the old Meadowlands. Sterile as hell!
But it is all about $$$$–some stadoim down there will pony up guarantees and CFB, which can’t resist any $$$ will gladly take the dough.
Not a fan of neutral site games. College football should be played on college campuses.
How would you like it if Alabama Crimson Tide fans take over big house in Ann Arbor with zero Michigan Wolverines fans.
That would be totally extremely unfair advantage.
Montreal would make an excellent neutral site game for Michigan vs Alabama.
Dan have you repeatedly hit your head? What’s the unfair advantage? You really think Michigan fans would give up tickets to a home game with Alabama, a once in a life time event? Oh yeah let’s play that game in Montreal, you’re a genius and the rest of us are just dumb. I wish you had called into the Boers and Bernstein show years ago, they would have had fun with you.
Illininoles97 Neutral site games involving P4 vs P4 OOC is perfect for both fan bases.
Dan, this would not happen. Nothing to be concerned about.
I liked the SEC & ACC better with 8 conference games.
The ACC & SEC & Big Ten stragglers should create an 8 team conference like the PAC-12.
It’s too late g6fan 9 game conference schedule is a priority for P4.
This is the consequence of 9 game conference schedules.
It shouldn’t be. It is an excuse not to play teams in other conferences and reward fans & players to see different teams and different parts of the country. It is boring to see the same teams played every year. It is a marketing effort to “build up” your conference with the help of the media i.e. ESPN and exclude teams from other parts of the country.
This is exactly a result on the 9 game conference schedule, or more specifically, losing a home game every other year.
That’s a lot of money.
So, the schools are looking for a way to make that up byu turning these marquee matchups into moneymakers for both schools. I guarantee you they approached several regional cities and asked what they would do to land a game like this.
It’s huge for their local economy, allows the schools to make up some of the money they lose in the odd year, plus if you are in Tallahassee or Athens, you get a little vacation in September, or if you live in Tampa and ara a fan of either team, they are bringing the whole show to you.
There honestly is no negative to game like this for anyone.
SEC! SEC! SEC! & Stan fully agree with you.
MikeKS Time to wake up buddy.
When the Pac-10/12 had a 9-game schedule, they didn’t back out of home-and-homes with other “Power 5” teams. I agree with Stan, this shouldn’t be an excuse.
Anything to avoid an OOC true road game, particularly against another P4 school. Funny, yet you never see a P4 school an OOC neutral site game against a G5 or FCS school. Lord help an SEC school if it “could have some teams on the road for 50% of their regular-season games”.
It’s all about the money. Can’t pay those exorbitant salaries without more cash.
The one plus is that schools are going to stop scheduling so far in advance. There is no reason to schedule 10 years out. Yes, we know why they do it—but with the ever changing landscape, there is no need to keep doing it.
That makes a lot of sense John fantastic comment.
If you lose a home game, schedule a home game against a quality non conference team. Have your yearly ACC opponent at home and free yourself up to go on the road against a quality non conference team. No excuses!
I think every game should be at a neutral site, except Florida Vs Georgia, Texas vs Oklahoma and Army vs Navy they should go home and home and every other game to be played all season long should be neutral site games so it’s fair. And if that’s not fair enough if the team we want to win doesn’t win they can still give them a half win so they can play in a bowel game to be played at night, up north.
Having Georgia vs Florida, Texas vs Oklahoma & Navy-Army at campus stadiums will look like scenes from ‘The Jerry Springer Show’ with fans.
Neutral sites are excellent so they can half & half fan bases.
College football should be about the students who pay exorbitant tuition costs. Let them enjoy the full D1 college experience by watching their school play on campus, not in a sterile neutral site.
The following post will be creative.
If I were a Georgia Bulldogs fan living in McDonough, GA (Suburban Atlanta) I would rather travel to Jacksonville than to Gainesville.
If I were a Texas Longhorn fan living in Houston, I would rather travel to Dallas than to Norman, OK.
Jacksonville during the Georgia-Florida week is a lot of things, sterile isn’t one of them.
Yes, you picked one of the three classic neutral site games along with Army-Navy and Texas-Oklahoma as a “gotcha.” Those matchups have been played in neutral sites for decades. I am clearly not referring to those games.
“neutral” games in Tampa…