Georgia and Florida bring "Outdoor Cocktail Party" rivalry to Atlanta for first time with SEC hopes on the line – CBS News

Georgia and Florida bring “Outdoor Cocktail Party” rivalry to Atlanta for first time with SEC hopes on the line  CBS News

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will have a different feel on Saturday when No. 3 Georgia plays No. 17 Florida in Atlanta for the first time.The usual neutral site setting of Jacksonville, Florida, is not available due to renovations at EverBank Stadium. Instead, the 50-50 split of tickets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium may provide a setting similar to the Southeastern Conference championship game."This is my first experience around this game," said Florida first-year coach Jon Sumrall. "I know it's traditionally in Jacksonville. I think you have to know that Atlanta is not necessarily our backyard, right? But the 50-50 thing is a unique deal that I think is exciting for our guys because you're in kind of a different environment than a normal SEC game, which is fun."Georgia is 8-2 in the rivalry under coach Kirby Smart, including wins in the last five games."This is always a great tradition, a great game," Smart said.

"Obviously, the venue has changed. I don't think that matters much to the teams playing in it. For the fan base, it's probably a unique experience to have the game in the 'Benz' in Atlanta." The game will be important for each team's SEC championship hopes. Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) will try to rebound from its last-second 27-24 loss to Auburn that knocked the Bulldogs from