ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cortaca Jug — the annual rivalry football game between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland — will move the Division III game up to a big venue in 2019. The Ithaca College Bombers and Cortland Red Dragons competing in the 61st Cortaca Jug next year will face off at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Once allegedly called the “biggest little game in the nation,” the Cortaca Jug is a long-standing tradition for the schools, which are only separated by about 22 miles. Every November, the fierce rivalry brings thousands of decked out and boozed up fans to the bleachers of either Ithaca College or SUNY Cortland’s field. With the switch to a big stadium outside of New York City, Ithaca College hopes to draw the thousands of alumni and fans who live in the Greater New York City area.
In a news release, Susan Bassett, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports at Ithaca College, said they hope to beat the current game attendance record of 37,355 fans.
“As college football celebrates 150 years throughout next season, we are honored to work with the National Football Foundation in supporting this effort by having this incredible rivalry be a featured game,” Bassett said in a statement.
The MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and is located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about eight miles outside of New York City. It’s home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets and hosted Super Bowl XLVIII.
Marc Hudak, an Ithaca College alumnus and chairman of the New York City chapter of the National Football Foundation, said in a news release, “Bringing ‘the biggest little game in the nation’ to the metropolitan New York City area is going to give these two schools an opportunity to put their rivalry on the biggest of stages and share their great tradition with the rest of the country,” said Hudak. “Our organization exists to support the game of amateur football and recognize those who exemplify athletic excellence, academic performance and good citizenship. Given this, inviting the Ithaca College Bombers and SUNY Cortland Red Dragons to play the 2019 Cortaca Jug game in MetLife Stadium seemed like a perfect way to celebrate the sesquicentennial of college football.”
The 2019 game will take place Saturday, Nov. 16 with a 1 p.m. kickoff time. Tickets will go on sale this December. For the general public, tickets are $10, $25 and $35. For students, staff, and faculty of Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland, tickets will be $15. For more information, visit the Ithaca College Athletics announcement.
Until the big 2019 game at the MetLife Stadium, there’s still a rivalry game to go. The 60th Cortaca Jug is happening this weekend at noon Saturday, Nov. 10 in Cortland.