It was unbelievable when it happened, and it has honestly been unbelievable ever since. Auburn and Georgia have one of the best secondary rivalries in college football. The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry has been played annually for one generation after another. Outside of 1943 because of World War II, Georgia and Auburn have played every fall since 1919. They have faced each other 129 times to date.
Until recently, it had been one of the most competitive rivalries in the sport. Georgia holds the all-time series lead at 65-56-8, having won eight in a row dating back to 2017, 11 of the last 12, 13 of the last 15, and 16 of the last 19. Auburn has not beaten Georgia in Athens since 2005 when the Tigers got the Bulldogs by one point, 31-30. It has not been the same since The Prayer at Jordan-Hare in 2013.
Here are the final scores of every rendition of The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry since the 2013 game.
Meeting | Winner | Score | Loser | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Georgia | 34 | Auburn | 7 | Athens |
2015 | Georgia | 20 | Auburn | 13 | Auburn |
2016 | Georgia | 13 | Auburn | 7 | Athens |
2017 | Auburn | 40 | Georgia | 17 | Auburn |
2017 | Georgia | 28 | Auburn | 7 | Atlanta |
2018 | Georgia | 27 | Auburn | 10 | Athens |
2019 | Georgia | 21 | Auburn | 14 | Auburn |
2020 | Georgia | 27 | Auburn | 6 | Athens |
2021 | Georgia | 34 | Auburn | 10 | Auburn |
2022 | Georgia | 42 | Auburn | 10 | Athens |
2023 | Georgia | 27 | Auburn | 20 | Auburn |
2024 | Georgia | 31 | Auburn | 13 | Athens |
As you can see, it has been all Georgia, pretty much all the time. Whether the game has been in Athens, Auburn, or even in Atlanta, the Dawgs almost always come out on top. In fact, the only time Georgia has lost to Auburn since 2013 was avenged only a few weeks later in 2017. Auburn may have crushed Georgia 40-17 during the regular season, but the Dawgs prevailed in the SEC Championship.
With The Prayer at Jordan-Hare and Kick Six coming in back-to-back weeks, Auburn got so lucky...
Why Georgia has taken complete control of Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
There are a few things at play that have contributed to this. The first has everything to do with Auburn. The Tigers' two biggest annual rivals are Alabama and Georgia, which just so happen to be the two preeminent powers in the SEC for the better part of two decades now. The fact that they play both at home and on the road in the same year has played a part in why they cannot gain momentum.
In addition to Alabama and Georgia handing the baton back and forth atop the SEC pretty much the entire time during this stretch, Auburn has had its issues at head coach. Gus Malzan was just good enough to beat Alabama and Georgia with some regularity to keep his job. The Tigers let him go after a 6-4 season during COVID. Bryan Harsin was a disaster and Hugh Freeze has not been as advertised.
Simply put, Auburn has had a coaching and scheduling disadvantage for slightly over a decade now. While Alabama and Georgia have been retained as annual opponents for Auburn in the SEC's new 3-6 scheduling format, the same challenges may continue. This is not to say they sold something to beat Georgia and Alabama in back-to-back weeks in 2013, but they have not reached that standard since.
Overall, Auburn may eventually get the best of Georgia again. It will probably be at Jordan-Hare because that is just the nature of how this rivalry goes. Heck, it could even happen on Saturday night under the bright lights in October. For now, there seems to have been a turning point in this rivalry series, one that may have resulted in one of the craziest finishes ever. This game is just not the same.
At one point in time, the SEC needed for Auburn to be good, but it seems to be doing just fine now.