Hardcore SEC tailgaters jam parking lots ahead of Georgia-Florida gridiron matchup

Tens of thousands of fans are pouring into downtown Atlanta for one of the most legendary football rivalries in the country: the Georgia-Florida game.

For nearly a century, Jacksonville has hosted the showdown. But because of extensive renovations at EverBank Stadium, the big game is in Atlanta this year and Tampa next year.

It’s the first time Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted the Bulldogs and Gators for their regular season rivalry.

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Trent Horne of Conyers has always driven his RV to Jacksonville or the game, a trip of about five hours. This time, it’s only 30 minutes.

Horne prefers the shorter drive, yes, but he said the atmosphere in Jacksonville is beyond compare.

“Jacksonville, it’s off the chain,” he said. “It’s real nice.”

The city sprouts a sprawling RV city and has long been billed “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” This year, it’s officially called the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic.

“It’s very significant,” Horne said. “This is the must-win game.”

Destiny Moss, a Georgia fan from Acworth, has never experienced the Jacksonville scene on game day, but no matter. The party has come to her backyard.

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“It’s really exciting,” she said. “It’s just Friday at this point, but we know it’s gonna amp up and it’s gonna be really awesome.”

Her best friend, Ashley Klugman, drove in from Dallas, Texas, to cheer on the Dawgs. “Feeling real good,” she said. “We’re gonna eat some Gators tomorrow.”

Chris Chapman and his family, Florida fans who live just south of Jacksonville, arrived at the parking lot off Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard at around midnight Friday. He called the environment in Atlanta subdued by comparison to the traditional host city.

“I love it in Jacksonville,” he said. “I don’t ever want it to leave Jacksonville. But in the scenario we have, it would have been nice to have a ’94-’95 scenario.”

He’s referring to the years when the teams played outside Jacksonville: One year was at the Gators’ home stadium in Florida, and the other was at UGA’s home field in Athens.

Christie Grimsley and Debra Reynolds, two Bulldog fans, were longing for the traditional rivalry meeting place.

“We miss Jacksonville,” Grimsley said. “It’s different than any other. This is not the biggest cocktail party. But the Dawgs are still gonna win!”

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