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HOOVER, Alaska – Florida players said Monday that playing in Georgia in Jacksonville "feels like home".
Some Gators, however, continue to show interest in the series.
"Personally, it would not bother me, because it would be a good feeling to beat them in Georgia," said Florida defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga at SEC Media Days at the Wynfrey hotel.
"It's basically a home game for us, and that's what coach (Dan) Mullen says:" It's our home game, it's our home ground. We are the Florida Gators, and we run this state, so we have to show everyone. "
Mullen rode the fence Monday when he was asked about the controversy surrounding the game of rivalry that is being played every year in Jacksonville.
Tickets for the match are divided by 50-50. But the location is more than 330 km from the University of Georgia and just over 70 km from Gainesville.
Recent unscientific polls on the Internet have shown that fans are divided as to their preference for the location of the match.
"I think you can argue anyway," said Mullen, who said two weeks ago in an exclusive interview with DawgNation that the future of the rivalry beyond the game contracted in 2021 is in outstanding.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart highlighted the disadvantage the Bulldogs face in losing what would be the most valuable official visit weekend of the UGA at SEC.
Meanwhile, Florida could be prompted to change Georgia's game in a round robin to bolster season ticket sales at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Gators quarterback Feliepe Franks said it did not matter where the game was played.
Franks said he felt Florida had an edge on his home ground in Jacksonville.
"We have a lot of fans attending this game, and we're on the road," said Franks. "It sounds like a home game with all Florida fans, so it's an incredible feeling."
Gators spokesman Lamical Perine said he liked the location of the match and would prefer the match to stay at TIAA Bank Field, the Jacksonville Jaguars' home in the NFL.
"My first year there, I had never played in an NFL stadium," said Perine. "Just having that kind of experience and understanding the tradition would be great for a lot of guys if it were kept there."
The future location of the Georgia-Florida rivalry has been the subject of ongoing conversation throughout the off-season, especially after Smart said on television that losing this weekend of recruiting was "a tough pill" to swallow".
Indeed, Athens' infrastructure has probably struggled to digest the loss of this home game for decades, especially after it was revealed that Jacksonville felt that the impact financial game would be $ 35 million a year.
The University of Georgia is receiving $ 3.2 million every two years to defeat the Sanford Stadium match and its 70-mile course in Gainesville.
Bulldogs veteran Bulldogs mole Hardman and Deandre Baker told the NFL Combine that they would like to make a series to become a home-based home.
"I think it would be more personal," Hardman said. "I would have liked to play it (The Swamp)," Hardman said. "I wish we could do something different, and this rivalry would go from where it is to a whole new level."
Baker agreed.
"I'd love it if it was a home and beat them in their stadium," Baker said. "I would say that Florida (is the biggest rival) because I come from Florida and I think it's the biggest rivalry other than Tennessee."
SEC legend, Tim Tebow, wants the game to stay in Jacksonville, evoking the tradition and the financial impact that the city derives from Florida and Georgia.
Gators defensive lineman Cece Jefferson told SEC Media Days that simply playing in the Georgian stadium would make the trip interesting.
"I'm not going to lie, it's lit up between hedges, at night I've seen where they're turning on mobile phones, and) it's going strong, out there," Jefferson said. "It would not bother me to go from our stadium to their stadium every year – we do not have to go to Jacksonville every year."
For the moment, the teams are doing it, at least until 2021.
Smart and his Georgian football players will arrive in Hoover on Tuesday and take their turn on the podium. It's a safe bet that the number of questions regarding the location of the rivalry match will no longer be feared.
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