Georgia vs. Florida: Gator Ad in Bulldog Paper Fuels the Fire in Rivalry

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party this weekend between Florida and Georgia is enormous on the field. Florida needs the win to wrap up the SEC East, while Georgia will put itself in prime position to play for the SEC East title itself if it can spring the upset.

With so much on the line between the two interstate rivals, you'd think that neither team needs motivation to try to wreck the season of its cross-state foe.

Just in case, Florida decided to add fuel to the fire last Thursday after a full-page ad appeared in the Red & Black, the independent student newspaper in Athens (h/t SaturdayDownSouth.com).

The full-page ad takes shots at Georgia's overall record vs. the Gators over the last 22 years, Georgia's inability to beat top-tier teams over the last few years and the surprisingly flimsy Georgia defense, which hasn't lived up to expectations in 2012.

If stats weren't enough, the advertisement went on to predict postgame comments from Bulldog head coach Mark Richt and Georgia players following what is assumed to be another Georgia defeat at the hands of the Gators.

Trolling at its finest.

A poll on the Red & Black website asks if it was out of line for the paper to sell the ad to a group claiming to be Florida fans. As of Friday morning, 68 percent of voters said it was out of line. 

The ad will certainly motivate the Georgia fans making the trip to the First Coast this weekend, but did it cross the line?

Not at all.

Stats are stats, and if Georgia fans are offended, they should be mad about their team's performance more so than the advertisement. The fictitious quotes are more humorous than offensive, and they should be viewed as such rather than a slap in the face.

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