Florida State and Georgia deserve better than a Nashville showdown in 2028

For most of college football history, a two-year agreement for a home-and-home was the typical setup for a non-conference matchup. That’s what Florida State and Georgia had agreed to for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. However, with the ACC and SEC each expanding to nine-game conference schedules, the two sides mutually agreed to cancel the games. 

Now, however, they have reportedly circled back to the idea of a non-conference matchup and have set a neutral site game for 2028 in Nashville. Ira Schoffel of Warchant reported the arrangement on Wednesday after Brett McMurphy of On3 had previously reported that Nashville was under consideration. 

The date is still not known for the matchup in 2028. 

Florida State and Georgia set to meet in Nashville in 2028

The latest trend in the constant push to profitize every aspect of college sports is neutral-site games. Essentially, the bowl season has moved to the beginning of the year, something Georgia is familiar with from its appearances in the Aflac Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. However, tearing these meaningful regular-season matchups away from campus is another troubling development that fails to acknowledge the needs of the fan. 

Gate revenue is still important to a college football program’s bottom line. Yet, in most cases, season ticket holders are taken for granted. It’s assumed that the die-hard fans will sign up for tickets year after year, even as the product they're paying for declines, with some of the best matchups being played elsewhere. In this case, it’s Nashville, which in 2027 is unveiling its 60,000-seat Nissan Stadium for the Tennessee Titans. 

Neutral-site games are often tied to corporate sponsorships and include guaranteed payouts for the programs, so while they lose the gate revenue, they more than make up for it, even when travel expenses are factored in. And the fans, well, they’re expected to foot the bill for travel. 

To Atlanta, where Florida State has played early-season neutral-site games before, like an opener against Alabama in 2017 that netted the program about $2.5 million, it’s a reasonable ask, only a 4.5-hour drive. To Nashville, that’s pushing eight hours from Tallahassee, and it comes right at the start of the semester, not when students are on winter break, as bowl games do. 

Now, as Duke has proven in basketball, there’s a burgeoning possibility that the programs could sell the broadcasting rights for these neutral-site non-conference games separately from their respective league’s TV deal, something that will no doubt be attempted in football soon. And something that, again, doesn't take the fan into account, as three of Duke's non-conference matchups for next season will be exclusively on Amazon Prime.

It’s hard to push against the flow of the almighty dollar, and that is pulling everyone towards more neutral-site games. Still, if this game was destined to be played away from Athens or Tallahassee, Nashville is a puzzling pick. Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, and Tampa were all reportedly under consideration, and most would have made a better selection.

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