State of Play: To avoid upset, Georgia can't overlook Auburn
It would be foolish for Georgia to overlook Auburn.
No, this isn’t the same team that saw Cam Newton win a national championship or saw the program fall excruciatingly close to another title against Florida State a few years later. However, the Tigers have been competitive in conference play with one-score losses to Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
While the Tigers aren’t ranked this is a dangerous team poised for an upset. With Georgia vying for a College Football Playoff berth, it can’t afford not to take the Tigers as serious as any of the top teams remaining on its schedule.
Dealing with a target
Georgia, whether anyone think it should or not, will have a target on its back this weekend in Auburn. It may already seem like a long time ago, but in early 2023, the Bulldogs were claiming back-to-back national championships. Only two seasons have passed since Georgia was on top of the college football world.
For Auburn, which won its last national championship in 2010, beating Georgia would be like winning the Super Bowl, even if the program wouldn’t want to admit it. The Tigers were competitive in losses against both Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and should give Georgia fits on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs better be prepared for a four-quarter fight because Auburn has been a tough out for two of the SEC’s better teams.
The key to the game
Considering Georgia has not proven it can rush the passer, the key will come down to its offense being able to produce touchdowns over field goals.
Auburn had trouble moving the ball against Oklahoma and Texas A&M. However, Georgia’s four-man rush has offered few issues against the teams it has played thus far. Therefore, Georgia’s offense must be able to move the ball, score touchdowns and force Auburn to keep up. Quarterback Gunner Stockton has been effective in keeping teams off balanced, and he should again have his work cut out for him on Saturday.
SEC Everest
Chasing the summit: Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Alabama
A camp behind: Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri
Advanced base camp: Texas, Auburn
Base camp: Mississippi State, South Carolina, Florida
Crying for their mothers: Kentucky, Arkansas
Games of note
No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri: This is the SEC’s most important game of the week. Missouri has run the ball on everyone thus far, and Alabama hasn’t done a good job stopping the run. Will both teams’ trends continue?
No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon: The 2024 darlings look like legit contenders a year later. We’ll see what Fernando Mendoza can do against a tough Oregon defense.
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. However, rivalry games bring the best out of underdogs. Don’t count out Texas just because it has underperformed so far through the 2025 season.