As I write today, we are one full day away from the college football game of the year. Tomorrow in Jacksonville, Florida the Georgia Bulldogs will line up against the dreaded Florida Gators from Gainesville, Florida. Even if you live on another planet or hate college football to the max, you will have heard or come in contact with some aspects of this game. This is the game of the year, maybe even the decade, hands down. I am a biased Georgia fan but I will attempt to explain why this game is so special.
The game will be played in Jacksonville, Florida on a "neutral" site. Jacksonville seems to be a perfect dividing line between the two states. Fans start arriving early in the week to partake in all the activities in and around Jacksonville. They come in RV's. They come in cars with divided family loyalties. They come clad in red and black, blue and white. All these fans mingle, party and trash talk together. This goes on all week and builds to a fury around the 3:30pm Saturday game time. Where else in America can this happen without violence and bloodshed?
This year will again be a preview for two certain NFL QB draft picks in the future. Matt Stafford of Georgia and Tim Tebow of Florida are without question two of the top quarterbacks in college football today. Stafford of Georgia is a drop back pocket quarterback that can pinpoint passes up and down the field. His team leadership and cool demeanor have NFL scouts panting. Tim Tebow of Florida is a bruising, punishing fullback-like competitor that can beat you with the pass and with his run play. Tebow has the Heisman but both he and Stafford seek the national championship that has eluded them in their college career.
This game naturally will have both national and conference implications. Georgia is ranked 6th in the BCS and has an outside chance to play in the championship game in Miami. Florida is ranked 8th and has been rising steadily up in the polls. Every year it seems these two teams vie for the SEC East title for the right to play in the conference championship game in Atlanta. Whoever wins this game will be in the driver seat for many season accolades. These circumstances always seem to add extra spice to an already heated rivalry. Year over year tough competition in a great football league has allowed the cream to rise to the top at both programs. Having something on the line every year when you play sets this game apart from a lopsided USC or boring Ohio State game. Big games are the norm in the SEC.
This game features two innovative and well respected coaches. Mark Richt of Georgia and Urban Meyer of Florida both are offensive minded coaches that seem to relish playing against each other every year. They say they are friendly, but both are highly competitive and surely want to beat the other. Meyer of Florida has already won a national championship that has so far eluded Coach Richt. Each is a master motivator who will always have a special trick or two planned just for this game. Boy, It sure is exciting to watch fans, coaches, and players all participate together in a rivalry that has lasted well over 70 years. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I naively thought we exclusively knew how to play football and how to be footballs fans. After moving down to Atlanta in the early 1991, I have found a football atmosphere that surpasses anything I had ever imagined. This rivalry game is what college football is all about. GO DOGS! Remember, if you are ever in Jacksonville around the end of October, be sure to get a ticket to THE game and experience it for yourself.
