Can't you count?

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published October 25, 2005

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In terms of heated rivalries, Florida-Georgia ranks among the biggest and the longest, with neither side liking or agreeing with the other on much of anything.

Including the series record. Call it the famous records discrepancy.

Check out the Florida media guide and the record is listed as 35-45-2, dating to 1915.

Ahh, but Georgia sees it differently.

Georgia officials contend the series record is 46-35-2 - one more win for the Bulldogs.

Here's the "official" account:

When the state university system created the Buckman Act in 1905, it combined the many small schools around the state into one unit including Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College, Florida State College for Women, the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind and Florida Agricultural College in Lake City (which became the University of Florida).

The Florida Ag College was the largest of the conglomeration at the time and called itself "the" university of Florida, but it wasn't the official designation.

"There was some reference somewhere that was made to the University of Florida (in Georgia's records), but it was really the Agricultural school," Florida historian Norm Carlson said. "The school played football, competing against athletic clubs, town teams and some semi-pro teams. After the Buckman Act, the school moved its equipment from Lake City to Gainesville. But in the first press guide at Florida, they listed the games and the first one was 1906 (listing the Ag College during that time). We're not into revisionist history, so how can we go back and change what they wrote?"

"I always said, they won so they're still counting that one," Carlson said.

- , Times staff writer