Florida football: Renovation could lead Jags to Swamp, UF-UGA to campus sites

The pending renovation of TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville could result in the Florida-Georgia football game moving back to campus sites.

In another twist, it also could bring the NFL to Gainesville.

The Jacksonville Jaguars would be displaced for two seasons during the renovations - 2025 and 2026 - Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said on Wednesday.

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The closest stadium with NFL capacity would be 90,000-seat Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a.k.a The Swamp, which is located 75 miles from downtown Jacksonville.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said that the Jaguars have expressed interest in having conversations about where they would play games during the renovation.

"It would be worth exploring hosting games at The Swamp," Stricklin said. "There are a lot of Jags fans in Gainesville given the close proximity to Jacksonville."

Another option for the Jags would be to play at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, which seats about 60,000 fans.

NFL franchises have played in college stadiums in the past during renovation periods.

In 2002, the Chicago Bears played on the Illinois campus at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., while Soldier Field was being redone. In 1998, the Tennessee Titans played at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville before moving into their new home, now called Nissan Stadium, in 1999. The Carolina Panthers played home games at Clemson University during their inaugural season in 1995 while their stadium in downtown Charlotte was under construction.

Future of Florida-Georgia series

The pending renovation also brings into question the future of the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville. In the short term, the games likely would move to campus sites in 2025 and 2026. The last time the two teams played on campus sites was in 1994 and 1995, when Jacksonville renovated the Gator Bowl to prepare for the Jaguars entering the NFL as an expansion team.

In those two seasons, Florida beat Georgia 52-14 at The Swamp in 1994 and 52-17 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., in 1995.

There have been grumblings from the Georgia side in recent years about playing the game every year in Florida's home state. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has been vocal about moving the series permanently to campus sites for recruiting purposes. Suggestions raised have included either alternating between campus sites and Jacksonville in future years or playing games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a neutral site closer to Georgia's campus.

"Jacksonville has been a great host city for this storied rivalry," Stricklin said. "The game is scheduled to be played there this year with an option to extend for two more years."