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College Rivalry Spotlight – Georgia vs Florida Football Classic

Sports Collectibles

As October comes to a close, several NCAA Football teams are hyping up to face off with one of their rivals – the #2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be traveling to State College to take on #13 Penn State Nittany Lions (not as much friction as a Buckeyes / Wolverines game, but still a good matchup), while intrastate rivals #4 Michigan and Michigan State face off. However, in terms of celebrations, the SEC’s Georgia–Florida Football Classic in Jacksonville, FL this weekend will be drawing fans near and far to “DUUUVAL” for what was once well-known as The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. The teams and the city have since eschewed that moniker, giving rise to the “River City Showdown” and “War of the Oar,” among others, but generally it’s known as the Florida-Georgia or Georgia-Florida game, depending on who the home team is that year.

This year, the undefeated Bulldogs are the home team and Stetson Bennett, Brock Browers and crew are expected to soundly defeat Anthony Richardson and the Orange and Blue. However, intense rivalry matchups can sometimes be unpredictable, which will only amplify the hum of excitement generated by the throngs of cross-border rivals that will converge on the city on the St. Johns River starting Thursday.

Adding to the contention between these two storied franchises, even the year of the first matchup is debated. According to the University of Georgia‘s Athletic Department, the first game between the two schools was held in 1904 in Macon, Georgia, with the Bulldogs coming out on top, 52-0. This is disputed by the Gators because the University of Florida, as we know it now, wasn’t officially formed until the Florida state legislature consolidated its public universities in 1905. Therefore, according to UF, the first Florida-Georgia matchup was in 1915 in Jacksonville. The Dawgs still shutout the Gators 37-0 with Florida not winning until their 8th matchup (7th for UF) in 1928.

Both teams have had their winning streaks over the years and it’s always a momentous matchup for fans on both sides of the Florida-Georgia state line. Since 1933, the game has been held in Jacksonville on neutral territory (with the exception of 1994 and 1995) as it is the largest city between the two campuses to accommodate the swell of revelers. The game even has its own hall of fame that holds an induction ceremony over the weekend to honor two players from each team. The city of Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Office established the hall of fame in 1995 “to acknowledge the many great records, performances, career highlights and outstanding memories that have made the Georgia-Florida game one of college football’s best traditions.” This year’s inductees include Georgia’s John Little and Champ Bailey and Florida’s Andre Caldwell and Trey Burton.

Over the years, the showdown between these two storied football programs has produced moments that have echoed through time and become a part of each team’s rich history. Will this year’s game add to the lore? After all, in 1985, the Gators came to Jacksonville undefeated and #1 in the nation for the first time in the school’s history. The year prior, they beat Georgia 27-0 to secure their first-ever SEC Title. This game would not go as well for UF. Georgia soundly defeated the #1 team, 24-3, ending Florida’s hopes that year for another title. In 2002, the 5-3 Gators beat the 8-0, #4-ranked, Bulldogs, ruining their perfect season in a stunning upset. Could the Gators once again pull an upset and triumph over the currently undefeated, reigning 2021 National Champions? Unlikely – but there’s a certain kind of magic in the mystery of the matchup.

When one thinks of the Bulldogs’ 1980 Championship team, legend Herschel Walker is probably the first player that comes to mind. But it was during the 1980 game at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville that another star rose to save the season. Arguably one of the best plays in college football history occurred during a Florida-Georgia weekend and helped to secure Georgia’s first-ever National Championship Title in 1980. Known as “Run Lindsay, Run!” (or as I was instructed by the legendary ball-carrier Lindsay Scott himself, “Munson really only ever said Run Lindsay!“), the pass from QB Buck Belue to WR Lindsay Scott and Scott’s ensuing 92-yard run saved Vince Dooley‘s #2 Bulldogs’ perfect season and allowed them to press on and win the 1980 National Championship. The undefeated Dawgs were trailing by one point (21-20) with one minute and 35 seconds left in the game facing third and long on their own 8-yard line. Belue threw a high pass to Scott who ran the football down the sideline 92 yards to score and win the game. The televised moment was made truly iconic due to long-time Georgia announcer Larry Munson‘s call of the play.

Buck back. Third down on the 8. In trouble. Got a block behind him. Going to throw on the run. Complete to the 25, to the 30. Lindsay Scott 35, 40. Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40. Run Lindsay! 25, 20, 15, 10, 5. Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! 

Well, I can’t believe it. 92 yards and Lindsay really got in a footrace. I broke my chair. I came right through a chair. … This is incredible! You know this game has always been called the world’s greatest cocktail party. … Do you know what is going to happen here tonight? … Man is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight!

26 to 21, Dawgs on top! We were gone. I gave up, you did too. We were out of it and gone. Miracle!

Across the years, during the highs and lows of these two legendary football programs, the city of Jacksonville has borne witness to gridiron greatness and this year’s game will be no different. If you’re going to Duval, make sure to find our GameDay Auctions booths at the Hall of Fame Luncheon, during the block party surrounding the Exhibition Baseball game on Friday and in the stadium at the game on Saturday. Find more information about the schedule of events HERE.

Regardless of which team you cheer for, find autographed memorabilia celebrating legends like Nick Chubb, Herschel Walker, Buck Belue, Lindsay Scott, Jordan Davis, Tim Tebow, Emmitt Smith, Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel plus current stars Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers, Anthony Richardson, and more. Do you have a favorite Florida-Georgia/Georgia-Florida showdown year or moment? Let us know in the comments!

Can’t make it to the game? Just for reading our blog, save an extra 10%* now when you shop SportsCollectibles.com with promo code GAFL2022 through 10/31/22! Shop autographed jerseys, autographed footballs, signed full-size Riddell Speed Replica and Authentic Helmets, autographed photos, autographed mini helmets and more today. Also be sure to check out our custom jersey and photo framing options to make your autographed collectibles museum-worthy!

You can also find our GameDay Auctions booths at every Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators home football game the rest of this season. For more information on where to find our Georgia GameDay Auctions booths at Sanford Stadium in Athens, click HERE. Get more details on where to find us at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp, in Gainesville by clicking HERE. Thanks for reading! We’ll see you at the game!

Speaking of JACKSONville, this post IS brought to you by Sports Collectibles Blog Dog Jackson!


– Jackson is a rescue dog born and raised in Florida. He loves watching NFL football with his pop-pop and college football with his GiGi when he visits her in Ohio. This weekend he will be cheering on both teams although he might lean a bit toward the Gators. His mama is the Team Lead for GameDay Auctions at the University of Georgia (and has become an adopted Georgia Bulldogs fan herself) so he gets jealous of the Uga stuffed animals that she brings home and hates when she has to travel to Athens for the football games. But he also gets EXTRA EXCITED when she comes home from a trip so he doesn’t mind it too much. He won’t be in Jacksonville this weekend but looks forward to his next opportunity to blog!

 

College Football Top 10 QBs – Do You Agree?

Sports Collectibles

Recently there was a list created by the wonderful people at PFF featured on Twitter that created some major controversy leading up to the next college football season. The list has since gone viral with everyone creating their own lists and/or just decimating other lists created. Here are our initial thoughts because at Sports Collectibles we have many of these debates daily within our own office.

The Tweet in Question:

Our Take on The Ten:

Obviously everyone needs to start with Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young at Number 1. This is probably the only part that people unanimously agree upon. Bryce is the current Heisman Trophy winner and is currently favored by many to be the first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. He has all the tools that NFL and college coaches dream about. Nick Saban can’t speak high enough about his starting quarterback. He is athletic, smart and has an amazing arm to help his team win on Saturdays.

Apart from Young, the rest of the list is highly debated by all- with the next two spots on the list bringing up an inter-team rivalry and what could be a plotline of a reality TV show. PFF put Caleb Williams, the Oklahoma Sooners transfer at number 2, with the other Oklahoma transfer at number 3. The drama between Williams and Spencer Rattler was REAL, y’all. Both saw many snaps last season at Oklahoma before Lincoln Riley bolted for a lavish USC Trojans head coaching job, taking Williams with him. His former teammate, ranked at #3 on THE LIST, headed to the opposite coast and the other USC, the South Carolina Gamecocks. Now, Williams does look to have an edge over Rattler, since former Pittsburgh receiver and Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison just joined USC and Riley. Most expect Riley, Williams and Addison to be lighting up scoreboards in the PAC-12 all season long.

Most people took issue with Spencer Rattler being as high as number 3 on the list. He lost the staring job last season to Caleb Williams while at Oklahoma. Then he entered the transfer portal and ended up at South Carolina. While Rattler has always had all the talent in the world since he was one of the top quarterbacks in his class, that talent hasn’t always been on display while on the field. Some have even questioned his ability to be a great teammate at times as well. All of this drama is where the real debate begins. (Cue Judge Judy or a good “DRRR-AH-MAH” GIF!)

Next up, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was the 4th-ranked player on the list and is probably a spot or two lower than most expected. Stroud had a phenomenal season last year with the Buckeyes and is returning to Columbus with Heisman Trophy expectations. He will return with the top receiver in the NCAA, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who he helped to set a Rose Bowl record for touchdown catches. Stroud is also thought to be one of the top prospects headed into the 2023 NFL Draft with Bryce Young and other players from the PFF list.

Sam Hartman from Wake Forest is also a little higher than most expected. He had a terrific season last year putting the Wake Forest Demon Deacons back on the ACC map with Head Coach Dave Clawson running the slow mesh offense that gave ACC defenses fits last year. While Hartman is a great quarterback, ranking him as high as #5 was pretty shocking to the college football world considering some of the other quarterbacks who could have been considered.

Following Hartman was Coastal Carolina signal caller Grayson McCall. McCall has always been a model of consistency since he took the reins for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He has racked up some serious stats as well as some hype going into the season. McCall has helped turn the Chanticleers from an easy week for opponents into a game viewers’ circle on their calendar so they can tune in to watch his team take the field.

The most surprising spot was at number 10 with Tyler Van Dyke from the Miami Hurricanes. He has been a big riser among draftniks all over the country. He is a big, strong armed quarterback who has all of the skills that scouts dream of. With a new coaching staff headed by Mario Cristobal, the Canes are looking to turn the football program back into the national powerhouse it once was when Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor and so many other amazing players wore the orange and green.

Who Was Missing:

As far as the snubs go, everyone has their own opinion but we will go over a couple that we thought were a little shocking to not have made the cut. The first name left off of the list erroneously, in our opinion, is Will Levis from the Kentucky Wildcats. Levis was a Penn State transfer who didn’t take long to make a major impact on the gridiron with Mark Stoops‘ Wildcats. Once thought of as a basketball school, Mark Stoops and Will Levis are building the Wildcats’ reputation as a football school, winning 10 games last season and concluding with a victory in the Citrus Bowl against a tough Iowa Hawkeyes team.

Another passer we have our eye on is Georgia Bulldogs quarterback and 2021 National Champion Stetson Bennett IV. He took over for an injured JT Daniels and never looked back, taking the talented Bulldogs roster to the promised land in Indy. While Bennett might not get the same kind of NFL Draft love of some other quarterbacks we have talked about on this list, that doesn’t mean he won’t have a terrific 2022 season. With All-American-caliber tight end Brock Bowers coming back this season, everyone should be watching out for the Kirby Smart-led Bulldogs.

Speaking of former 5-Star QB JT Daniels, he is the next quarterback we were surprised didn’t make the cut. He has transferred north across the Appalachian Mountains to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Head Coach Neal Brown is looking to get the Mountaineers back on track and Bulldogs transfer Daniels is the guy who he will be leaning on to get the job done in the Big 12 this season.

Another QB everyone should have on their radar is Texas Tech Red Raiders gunslinger Tyler Shough. A former Oregon Ducks transfer, Shough had a rough season with the Red Raiders last year, but entering his final year of eligibility, you will see him leave it all on the line in the Big 12 this season. A tall and powerful QB, Shough was poised to break out last year before the injury bug got to him. With a full offseason under his belt, don’t be surprised to hear his name a lot this fall.

Lastly, we want to mention Boston College Eagles standout Phil Jurkovec. He is a lesser-known quarterback but possesses an arsenal of talent. Jurkovec got injured last season and only played in 6 games. This year, he will be playing for the NFL Draft scouts that will surely be in attendance at his games. A former Notre Dame Fighting Irish transfer, Jurkovec was a prolific high school quarterback in Pittsburgh before not seeing much action in South Bend, therefore taking his talents to the East Coast. This will be a big season for the future of Phil Jurkovec.

The ranking of this year’s NCAA quarterbacks has become the biggest debate in our office right now. What does your Top 10 list look like? Follow our social media accounts (@SpCollectibles) and tag us in your own College football Top 10 Quarterback lists!

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This post brought to you by Sports Collectibles Blog Dog Hall of Famer Barkley!


-Barkley is the best boy ever! He’s been with the SportsCollectibles.com team for 3 years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! He enjoys LONG walks around the neighborhood and playing fetch. His hero is Air Bud. His favorite foods are pizza and tortilla chips. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs.