Citing the need for “new revenue sources,” Georgia Tech is moving its rivalry game against Georgia next year to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, netting a $10 million guarantee. It will be the first time the rivalry game, known as Clean Old-Fashioned Hate, will be played off campus since 1913. And it comes a year after Georgia Tech gave then-No. 1 Georgia a spirited fight at Bobby Dodd Stadium, losing 31-23, the closest the game had been in seven years.
But Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt said in a message to fans that the $10 million from Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be “a transformative lift for Tech athletics.”
Batt vowed that the 2027 game will return to Georgia Tech’s campus, with renovations to Bobby Dodd Stadium a concern. (No other games are being moved at this point.)
“This was not a decision that was made lightly,” Batt wrote. “As I noted earlier, embarking on the new era of college athletics requires exploring new revenue sources, as that is paramount to our goal of competing for championships at the highest level.”
The game will not be part of Georgia Tech’s season ticket package, but Yellow Jackets fans will get seating priorities they haven’t had for other games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Batt wrote in the email.
Still, playing in the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has expandable seating up to 75,000, could give Georgia a chance to get more fans in. The Bulldogs already have had a healthy amount of fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium, which has an official capacity of 51,913.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is also a second home for Georgia, which has played there 10 times since the start of the 2017 season, including this year’s opener against Clemson.
“We always enjoy playing in a first-class venue like Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement. “This move will only enhance the long-standing tradition of the Georgia-Georgia Tech game and will provide another outstanding event for our fans.”
This is the second twist to the rivalry game in as many years: This year’s game, in Athens, was moved to Friday night to give the game a bigger spotlight on ESPN.
(Photo of Haynes King: John David Mercer / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
