Tim Tebow weighs in on whether Florida-Georgia game should stay in Jacksonville
The Florida-Georgia game is always one to mark on your calendars. The Cocktail Party between the heated rivals takes place annually in Jacksonville.
A former Florida legend is adamant that the rivalry game should remain in the area. Tim Tebow, a Jacksonville native, is a fierce advocate of the neutral site location. The Heisman Trophy quarterback explained his stance on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”
Via On3.com:
“First, I gotta start this conversation by saying I’m coming at it already being biased,” Tebow said. “I’m from here. I love the game here. My parent’s first date was this game, a long time ago. I have a lot of amazing memories. I think, to defend this game and one of the reasons it should be played, is that it’s one of the rarest games in sports. There’s not many things like it. You’ll see tomorrow, for all those people that are watching for the first time, it’s literally split down the middle. Red and black. Orange and blue.”
Tebow added that playing at the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars has a major effect on the recruiting landscape.
“I think something else that’s really relevant, too, is how much Florida and Georgia recruit this north Florida area. All of them are competing for so many of the kids in the massive high schools that are here. But this is a fertile ground for amazing athletes. And they’re competing for a lot of the big ones right here right now. So I also think winning this game here plays into that, as well,” Tebow said.
Florida (4-3) is coming off a 45-35 loss to LSU. Undefeated No. 1 Georgia most recently blanked Vanderbilt 55-0.
This year’s edition of the rivalry is slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday and will be televised on CBS. Georgia won last season’s meeting and leads the all-time series 53-44-2 against Florida.