Georgia in familiar setting after Georgia Tech shifted game for big bucks
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Georgia football under coach Kirby Smart has played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium more than any other venue other than home games in Sanford Stadium.
A dozen times total — seven SEC championship games, two Peach Bowls, two season kickoff games and one national championship game.
On Friday, it will be as the visiting team for the first time for what is considered a Georgia Tech home game after the school moved the rivalry game from Bobby Dodd Stadium to the home of the Atlanta Falcons for a $10 million guarantee.
So for the first time since the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets played at Atlanta’s Ponce de Leon Park in 1912, the teams will meet somewhere other than on one of the two campuses.
Georgia should feel right at home. While the Bulldogs are 7-5 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they are 5-1 since the start of the 2022 season in the venue.
“It’s almost like a home game feeling in how you’re just familiar with the stadium and it’s as simple as getting off the buses and walking through the tunnels to the locker room,” said wide receiver London Humphries, who caught a 40-yard touchdown in a 34-3 win over Clemson last year in his first game with Georgia to open last season and played in the SEC championship win over Texas there last December. “Those things. One less thing to think about, so that’s helpful.”
Georgia is 0-4 against Alabama in Mercedes-Benz and 7-1 against other opponents.
Georgia Tech is 1-4 there including losses the last three times against Notre Dame in 2024, Louisville in 2023 and Clemson in 2022.
Georgia Tech announced in 2019 that, for five seasons, it would annually move a home game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is located about two miles from campus.
It still has one home game left to play, according to the school, but all seven of its home games next season will be on campus.
“Georgia Tech fans spoke. We listened,” athletic director Ryan Alpert posted on X on Oct. 31, “All 7 home games — including premium non-conference matchups vs Colorado and Tennessee — will be played at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in 2026.”
Alpert was hired in July from Tennessee, where he was senior deputy athletics director.
Moving the Georgia game to Georgia Tech was annunced by then athletic director J Batt in October of 2024. Batt now is athletic director at Michigan State.
This year’s game is a top 25 matchup, with the 10-1 Bulldogs at No. 4 in the CFP rankings and 9-2 Georgia Tech at No. 23.
“While the decision to play this year’s UGA game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was made before I became the AD at Georgia Tech, it was certainly the right decision, as the revenue lift that it provided was essential,” Alpert said in a statement to the Athens Banner-Herald provided by Georgia Tech. “As we evaluated the opportunity to play next season’s home game versus Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, we determined that the best decision for Georgia Tech, our football program and our fans was to play that game on campus. We’re very grateful for our partnership with AMB Sports and Entertainment, who has been fully supportive of us as we evaluate future scheduling decisions. We’re looking forward to playing at least one more future home game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of our original agreement with AMBSE, and continuing to explore future opportunities together.”
AMB Sports and Entertainment has branded the game this year as the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic just like the 2026 Georgia-Florida game there being played due to stadium renovations in Jacksonville. The Georgia Tech game was announced as a sell-out last Friday.
When Georgia Tech announced an agreement to play games at Mercedes-Benz in 2019, athletic director Todd Stansbury said the school did not consider moving the Georgia game.
“The Georgia Tech-Georga series is a historical game that I believe should be played at home-and-home,” Stansbury said then.
Georgia Tech announced last year that the the 2027 Georgia game against Georgia Tech will return to the Yellow Jackets’ campus.
Georgia has dominated the Yellow Jackets in games at Bobby Dodd Stadium, winning 12 straight there.
Bulldogs fans have showed up in large numbers for games at Georgia Tech and could have a big presence Friday, even with just a 5,000 ticket allotment. Georgia Tech has said its season ticket holders got seating priority that they didn’t have in previous games there.
Sophomore linebacker Chris Cole played his first game in Mercedes-Benz against Clemson last season.
“I just remember the Dawg fans being so loud,” he said. “It was a great experience. I love playing in the stadium.”
This is the second year in a row “Clean Old Fashioned Hate” will be played on the Friday after Thanksgiving and that could continue.
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to showcase the Georgia Tech-Georgia rivalry to the nation on Black Friday,” Alpert said. “Much like the NFL, we have to be creative and innovative in identifying scheduling windows that give us the best platforms to showcase our programs. Last year’s game was one of the most-viewed games of college football’s regular season, with 11-and-a-half million people tuning in for the conclusion of the game, which was after midnight ET. Moving forward, like all opportunities, we’ll evaluate, seek feedback and collaborate with all parties – including Georgia, the ACC, SEC and ESPN – to make the best decisions for everyone involved.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: New Georgia Tech AD on moving home game vs Georgia football off campus
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