UGA Football Knows When the Cocktail Hour Begins with Florida Gators in 2025
Act now and get three months of Dawg Post for the price of one
ATHENS - Kirby Smart and UGA Football will face the Florida Gators in Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The slot has been the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’s traditional TV slot for the last few decades.
Georgia is 7-1 versus the Gators since 2017 after beating Florida 34-20 in 2024.
The two schools announced a mammoth deal in late 2024 ensuring the rivalry will continue in Jacksonville after a two-year stop in Tampa and Atlanta while construction takes place to update EverBank Stadium.
“The City of Jacksonville is guaranteeing a minimum of $10 million to each school for each of the 2028 and 2029 seasons,” the Banner-Herald reported in November. “The minimum guarantee goes up to $10.5 million for each school for each of the 2030 and 2031 seasons.”
Georgia enters the 2025 season with high expectations once more. Kirby’s tenth season in Athens features seven home games - and neutral-site showdowns with two of the program’s major rivals. UGA football will face the Gators in Jacksonville once again, but add a Black Friday fight with Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Both of those games are scheduled for 3:30 kickoffs on ABC.
The Bulldogs have two massive home games in 2025. Georgia will host Alabama on September 27. The two programs have combined to win five national titles since Alabama last visited Athens in 2015. Texas makes its first appearance in Athens in program history. The two programs met in the 2024 SEC Championship Game in December. The Bulldogs beat Texas in overtime to win Georgia’s 15th SEC title - second most all time.
Kirby’s Dawgs look get back to the College Football Playoff in 2025. The Bulldogs fell to Notre Dame in January at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The loss concluded the Dawgs’ 11-3 season in 2024. As of late May 2025, UGA is considered one of the favorites to win the national title according to BET MGM (Ohio State, +500 | Texas +500 | UGA +650 | Penn State +750 | Oregon +800).