College football is undergoing another transformation. Each year, new teams join the Football Subdivision (FBS), there is more talk about playoff expansion, and schedules have become a little more than tissue.
Teams have to think about playoff positioning, financial upside, and how to strategize the best schedule to meet individual team goals. With the year-to-year changes in the ACC schedule and the requirement to play a tenth Power Four opponent, are marquee home and home series in danger?
What does it mean for the future of the Seminoles? Here is a look at some pros and cons of moving this matchup to a neutral site.
The pros of playing Georgia in a neutral-site game
The Big Event
Each year, some matchups split stadiums 50/50. The Red River Rivalry comes to mind in the Cotton Bowl, as does Georgia’s very own matchup with Florida in Jacksonville. This creates an environment you would not otherwise get and brings special attention to the game.
Much has been made of FSU’s “financial troubles,” so charging premium ticket prices, maybe a corporate sponsorship or two, and/or expanded media can result in a cash infusion that would help the athletic department. While traditionalists love home game atmospheres, avoiding the Hedges could pay off.
Branding
Florida State has always prided itself on “play anyone, anywhere, at any time.” This situation is no different. Georgia has been one of the better teams this decade, touting a 73-9 record (sorry Warriors fans), since 2020, according to sportsreference.com.
Playing Georgia will always bring attention and a spotlight, but a victory would be invaluable. Can you imagine Mike Norvell surviving this season and then knocking off Georgia? Talk about a feather in one’s cap!
Recruiting
Both schools sit in talent-rich territory, and this would be a chance to showcase in different parts of their regions. Tampa or Orlando would love to see the Noles up close, I imagine. The SEC does not know it, but the ACC is in a recruiting arms race with them.
NIL does not change that fact, and one good showing/victory could bolster Florida State’s prospects for years. Florida State has been bad on its own, and the ACC’s name rarely garners any respect. What better way to show that things are trending in the right direction?
The cons of playing Georgia in a neutral-site game
Losing a home game
Georgia has played Florida State 3 times since coming to Tallahassee in 1965. (Winspedia) Florida State won that game 10-3, but newer Seminole fans have not had the experience of playing Georgia in Doak Campbell. Each matchup since then has been a bowl game with the Noles going 0-2-1 against the Bulldogs in that window.
Why should the fans that support the team week in and week out not have this experience? Students, alumni, and local Tallahassee businesses always benefit when marquee programs come to town. When I think of future opportunities, I think of games against Big Ten Teams in Chicago, maybe even Notre Dame at MetLife, just for exposure to an area FSU does not travel to regularly.
Neutral sites aren't always fair for both sides
We have seen this movie before. Georgia plays a big-time opponent at a neutral site! By neutral, it is usually Atlanta. Georgia and Georgia Tech met in Atlanta last year; you could call that neutral, but Georgia’s fanbase dwarfs Georgia Tech, realistically speaking.
Though it is approximately 70 miles from Athens, Atlanta serves as a home away from home, especially with Georgia’s penchant for reaching SEC title games. Without a 50/50 gate, what would you think the distribution of fans would be? I would not consider a Northwestern game in Chicago a neutral site, but I digress. This is Georgia we are talking about.
The Final Spear
There is no denying that moving the Georgia series to a neutral site could cause a financial windfall for Florida State. The attention and exposure would be more than beneficial, but at what cost? College football is already facing an identity crisis as we speak, and hopefully, marquee games moving to neutral sites do not become the norm.
After all, that’s what Bowl season is for. What do fans value more, the stadium atmosphere or the national spectacle? It is obvious where the university stands.
For more Sports Analysis, Michael can be found on the Sports Reports as Ordered Podcast on YouTube/DSPs and at authory.com.
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