Connor Lew makes adamant case for Auburn vs. Georgia rivalry to remain on schedules

One of the potential downsides of continued conference expansion is the possible loss of some old rivalry games. Could The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry between Auburn and Georgia be in jeopardy?

Some version of that question was posed to a number of players and coaches at the annual SEC Media Days. And just about everyone seems to agree the loss of that game would be a devastating blow for both programs, the conference and college football at large.

“That game’s big for me personally, because obviously I’m from Georgia,” Auburn offensive lineman Connor Lew said. “Grew up, a lot of my friends are Georgia fans, so obviously I’d hate to see that game go. But I think that’s a staple of the history between two programs too.”

He’s not the only one who feels that way, either. Georgia coach Kirby Smart also chimed in on the big game after playing in and coaching in the annual rivalry.

“Every game in the SEC is important,” Smart said at SEC Media Days earlier this month. “I get it, that’s a that’s a huge rivalry game — a tradition that I love. I grew up in southwest Georgia, where it’s easier to get to Auburn than it was Georgia from where I live. So I respect that rivalry. But they’re all big games. I would hate to lose that one if that happened.”

More on Auburn, Georgia rivalry

There have been five instances where the Bulldogs and Tigers failed to lock horns since the first game in 1892. 1893 — no rematch was scheduled. In 1897, Georgia did not play the season. The two sides didn’t play in 1917 and 1918 due to World War I, and again in 1943 because of the second World War. Georgia and Auburn have played every season since 1944.

Both sides likely want to preserve the tradition. However, the debate over whether the SEC should transition to a nine-game conference schedule raged on during the conference’s preseason media days earlier this month. The Big Ten Conference adopted the model back in 2016, and the recent additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC’s ranks has sparked renewed interest in adding an additional game.

There is also the fact that a potential nine-game SEC schedule could be the difference in how the College Football Playoff is formatted moving forward. With each coach having thrown their two cents in already, Smart opened up with a unique perspective on the matter. Naturally, he has some concerns.

“I don’t have a preference,” Smart revealed. “Forever, I was a nine-game proponent because it was better for our fan bases, it was better for television. It was better for increasing revenue, which is a huge demand right now in college athletics.

“I like the idea of nine. My concern with the idea of nine is, how are we picking the 12-14 teams, and who’s picking them? What do they value? Because I don’t think we saw value in adding nine more losses to our league last year in terms of the way (the CFP committee) pick the teams.”

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this report.