Fansided

College Football: 20 best rivalry games to watch in 2018

By Maitland Rutledge

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: The USC Trojans face off at the line of scrimmage against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during a game at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won 49-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: The USC Trojans face off at the line of scrimmage against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during a game at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won 49-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – OCTOBER 28: Lamical Perine #22 of the Florida Gators runs the ball during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field on October 28, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia defeated Florida 42-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – OCTOBER 28: Lamical Perine #22 of the Florida Gators runs the ball during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field on October 28, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia defeated Florida 42-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

13. Florida vs. Georgia

This rivalry game does not begin on Saturday. I starts early in the week between the fans. The great festivities begin on a Tuesday at what some might call “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”. The boats start cruising up the St. John’s River in Jacksonville as fans from two adjacent states prepare for another chapter in the matchup of the Gators and the Bulldogs. By Saturday, everyone will be in a festive mood – except for the players, Kirby Smart and Dan Mullen.

The Bulldogs and Gators have provided some must-see classic battles over the years. From Georgia’s comeback in 1980 to Florida’s 1993 win in the rain. What is even more special about this rivalry?

These two programs can’t even agree on how many times they’ve actually played each other. Florida claims the two have met 95 times while the Bulldogs claim 96 meetings in their record books. The Gators have even claimed that the 52-0 loss during the 1904 season does not count because they had not yet technically started playing football yet. This rivalry has a lot of layers from fans, to players, to athletic directors.

Georgia leads the series all-time 51-43, but over the past decade it is almost deadlocked. Florida holds a slight 6-5 edge. Last year’s game was a 42-7 blowout as the Bulldogs were on their way to a National Championship while the Gators were looking for new head coach after going 4-7. Dan Mullen knows this game matters and it will definitely be one SEC game worth taking in this season.