Florida vs Georgia Rivalry History, Odds & Preview: Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party 2026

Cocktails and costumes — that's what the Florida vs. Georgia rivalry is all about — with the game known as the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" often falling on the final Saturday of October.

This year's game is slated for Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC), with Florida and Georgia playing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the first time in the rivalry's history.

Georgia is a 9.5-point favorite for this year's Halloween edition of the Cocktail Party, but with the Gators covering in three of the last four years, will college football analysts back the Bulldogs, or will Florida finally get back in the win column?

Florida vs Georgia rivalry history: World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

Florida	Category	Georgia
44	Wins	58
7 (1990-1996)	Longest win streak	7 (1904-1927)
40 (1996)	Largest margin of victory	75 (1942)
782-465-40 (.623)	Program record	912-435-54 (.670)
3 (3)	Claimed national titles (recognized)	4 (3)
8	Conference championships	18
3	Heisman winners	2
34	Consensus All-Americans	42
652	Weeks in the AP Poll	703
41	Weeks at No. 1	55
50 (26-24)	Bowl games (record)	65 (38-23-3)
388	NFL draft picks	400
60	First-round picks	53

A rivalry that began over 100 years ago, exactly when depends on who you ask, has been defined by winning streaks, legendary head coaches, an all-time nickname, a neutral site (Jacksonville), and hate.

Since 1904, according to Georgia, and 1915, if you ask Florida, the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been one of college football's best rivalries. It has been played every season since 1926, except in 1943 due to World War II, and Florida vs. Georgia has rarely been a back-and-forth rivalry.

This game has largely seen one team dominate for years, until the other program finally ends a streak and starts one of its own. Names like Vince Dooley, Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, and Kirby Smart have made a massive impact on the importance of this rivalry, which has featured a plethora of College Football Hall of Fame players, from Herschel Walker to Tim Tebow.

Though the winning streaks in the Cocktail Party have led each program to become national powers while taking home championships along the way, these teams have rarely been at the same top-tier level at the same time. 

From 1904 (if you count that game, Florida doesn't) until 1951, the Bulldogs won 24 of 30 games. Then, from 1952 until 1963, it was the Gators' turn, going 10-2 in the Cocktail Party.

That's been the story of this rivalry, with Georgia dominating the early decades, the 1970s, and the Kirby Smart era in Athens. Florida, meanwhile, had the upper hand in the 1950s, early 1960s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

Now with Jon Sumrall preparing for his first Cocktail Party as Florida's head coach, will a new streak begin?

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History of the Florida vs Georgia rivalry

When did the Florida vs Georgia rivalry start?

This is a tricky question to answer because it depends on which program you ask. Unlike most rivalries, there isn't an agreement between Florida and Georgia on when the rivalry began.

Georgia says it began in 1904 when the Bulldogs beat the "University of Florida Blue and White" 52-0 in Macon, Ga. The Gators say that was a predecessor school known as Florida Agricultural College before Florida, as we know it today, opened in 1905. Instead, Florida counts the 1915 game that Georgia won 37-0 as the first in the rivalry.

The 1915 matchup was the first played in Jacksonville, Fla., which has been the location of 93 of the 104 (or 103) games between the two programs. It's also previously been played in Athens, Ga. (5), Savannah, Ga. (2), Gainesville, Fla. (2), Tampa, Fla. (1), and Macon, if you count the first contest.

This year, the game is being played in Atlanta for the first time due to stadium renovations at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. It's the first time since 1995 that the game isn't in Jacksonville.

Why is it called the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party?

Although no longer officially known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, after the SEC and schools agreed to distance themselves from it due to the ties to alcohol, it's still referred to by its nickname by almost everyone. 

The rivalry was first dubbed the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in 1958 by Florida Times-Union sports editor Bill Kastelz, who reportedly witnessed an intoxicated fan offer a drink to an on-duty police officer before the game.

Due to the atmosphere around the game, particularly in Jacksonville, where the rivalry game was embraced by local government due to how much money it brought in via tourism, the "Cocktail Party" nickname was viewed as a perfect fit. The City of Jacksonville even embraced it and used it officially for years before opting to end its ties to the name due to "alcohol-fueled outbursts."

With the SEC, both schools, the City of Jacksonville, and TV networks broadcasting the game (originally CBS, now ESPN) no longer using the nickname, it has been called the "Florida-Georgia game" for the most part.

Though fans and media without ties to the SEC still call it the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party," the game has also earned another name from the students, the "War for the Oar."

Why do Florida and Georgia play for the Okefenokee Oar?

Florida and Georgia didn't always have a rivalry trophy; in fact, the idea for one actually came in an effort to stop the destruction of goalposts. In 1986, the City of Jacksonville announced it would award the winning team the goalposts from the game to dissuade the fans from storming on the field and destroying the goalposts, as they had in the previous two years.

However, the goalposts were never actually awarded because neither program wanted them as a trophy. More than 30 years later, the schools' student governments announced an official trophy, the "Okefenokee Oar." The 10-foot oar was anonymously donated to Florida in 2009, with both schools' logos carved into it.

The oar was reportedly carved from a 1,000-year-old cypress tree from the Okefenokee Swamp, which sits along the Florida-Georgia border and was once the subject of a boundary dispute between the two states. Unlike most rivalry trophies, however, the Okefenokee Oar is presented to the winning university's student body president rather than awarded at the game.

Best moments in the Florida vs Georgia rivalry

• Belue to Scott (1980)

Considered one of the greatest plays in the history of Georgia football, Belue to Scott was the game-winning play for the Bulldogs in 1980.

Down 21-20 to Florida, and on its own 7-yard line on third and long, Georgia QB Buck Belue scrambled around before throwing across his body and hitting Lindsey Scott in the middle of the field. Scott then turned it into a 93-yard touchdown. Georgia would win the game 26-21.

The play was made even more important as Georgia handed Florida its first loss of the season and the Bulldogs climbed to No. 1 in the country. A few months later, Georgia would claim its first national championship since 1942.

• "Half a hundred" (1995)

Few coaches have drummed up as much attention, good and bad, as the "ol' ball coach." Steve Spurrier certainly left his mark on the Cocktail Party, but his most memorable moment came in 1995 when he ran up the score on Georgia.

It was the rare Florida-Georgia game not being played in Jacksonville, with the Gators on the road in Athens due to stadium construction in Jacksonville, and Spurrier took the opportunity to make a statement.

At that point, no team had ever scored 50+ points in Georgia's Sanford Stadium, so Spurrier ran up the score between the hedges to win the game 52-17. To hit 50+, Spurrier had his backup QB Eric Kresser still throwing late in the game, and with just over a minute to go, a TD put the Gators over 50 points.

Rumor has it, Spurrier said he wanted to be the first coach to put up "half a hundred" at Sanford Stadium. 

• The Gator Stomp (2007)

The "Gator Stomp" game led to a chain reaction in the series, making it all the more memorable. In 2007, after a first-quarter touchdown by Knowshon Moreno, Georgia's whole team stormed the end zone to celebrate and drew two penalties. Georgia's head coach Mark Richt later said he encouraged his team to excessively celebrate after the first score.  

That put Florida in position to score on the following drive, but the Bulldogs would go on to win 42-30 and hold Tim Tebow, the Heisman winner that season, to a season-low rushing yards (-15). It was also the first time in the Cocktail Party that both teams scored 30+ points.

But the following season, Florida head coach Urban Meyer reportedly used the "Gator Stomp" incident to motivate his team. In 2008, Florida would win the Cocktail Party 49-10 on its way to a national championship. 

Key figures in the Florida vs Georgia rivalry

• Steve Spurrier, Florida

Not only is Spurrier known for all the winning he's done as a head coach, but he also won a Heisman as Florida's quarterback in 1966. As a player, he had mixed results against Georgia, but as a coach, he owned the Bulldogs.

Spurrier took over in 1990 with his up-tempo offense and cheeky attitude, putting an end to Georgia's Cocktail Party reign. 

Before Spurrier showed up, Georgia won 15 of 19 games from 1971 to 1989. In 1990, Spurrier immediately changed things with a blowout win.

During his tenure in Gainesville, 1990-2001, Spurrier lost just once against Georgia, going 11-1 against the Bulldogs.

• Vince Dooley, Georgia

A legend in Athens, Dooley arrived in 1964 and changed Georgia football forever. Beyond turning the Bulldogs into a consistent national power, he ended their struggles against Florida.

From 1952-1963, the Gators went 10-2 against Georgia, but in Dooley's first Cocktail Party, he took down No. 9 Florida 14-7. It was his first of 17 wins during his 25 years as Georgia's head coach, none more memorable than the 1980 comeback that led to a national championship.

Dooley remained at Georgia as athletic director, a position he took on in 1979, until 2004. As athletic director from 1989-2004, he saw his Dawgs win the Cocktail Party just three more times due in large part to Spurrier's dominance in the rivalry.

• Urban Meyer, Florida

When Spurrier left for the NFL following the 2001 season, Florida fell off on a national level but managed to win its first two Cocktail Parties under Ron Zook.

Then in 2004, the Gators lost their first game to Georgia since 1997. Florida opted to go in a new direction and hired Urban Meyer away from Utah.

Meyer took Florida to another level, with two national titles in his first four years, the only two titles Florida has claimed outside of Spurrier's championship in 1996. Meyer won five of his six Cocktail Parties, with his only loss coming in the infamous "Gator Stomp" game.

• Kirby Smart, Georgia

From 1990, when Steve Spurrier took over at Florida, through 2015, the year before Kirby Smart became Georgia's head coach, the Bulldogs went just 6-20 in the Cocktail Party.

Although Smart lost his first meeting with Florida, he won the next three. He suffered his second loss during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but hasn't lost to the Gators since.

Since his second season at Georgia, Smart is 8-1 against Florida. He also added two national championships to the Bulldogs' trophy cabinet during that span.

• Tim Tebow, Florida

The best player in program history, Tebow took home a Heisman, helped win Meyer two national championships, and went 3-1 against Georgia in the Cocktail Party (2-1 as the starting QB).

While he was on the losing end of the "Gator Stomp" game during his Heisman season, Tebow got his revenge by beating Florida 49-10 as a junior and 41-17 as a senior. In four games against Georgia, Tebow accounted for 12 touchdowns.

• Herschel Walker, Georgia

Arguably the best running back in college football history, Walker helped Dooley win the national championship in 1980, took home the Heisman in 1982, and was the SEC Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American in all three of his seasons in Athens.

He also never lost a Cocktail Party to Florida. Walker rushed for 200+ yards in all three meetings, compiling a 3-0 record while carrying the ball more than 100 times for over 600 yards and eight touchdowns.

Biggest upsets in Florida vs Georgia history

Biggest blowouts in Florida vs Georgia rivalry 

Florida vs Georgia schedule & future matchups

The Florida vs. Georgia rivalry is scheduled for every season for the foreseeable future, with Florida and Georgia being marquee rivals in the SEC. The rivalry is on the current official SEC schedule for the next three years, with the SEC only releasing its official schedule through the 2029 season.

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