SEC Football: The Auburn / Georgia Clash Between the Hedges

If you live in the South, the Penn State scandal will be little more than a frighteningly bad dream by the time Saturday rolls around. Saturday will mark the 116^th time Georgia plays Auburn and this year, the hedges at Sanford Stadium in Athens had better be thick.

Coming off a bye week, the Auburn defense will be primed to stop Georgia's mighty run. Although Auburn is 52-52-8 in the series, this could be the year the Dawgs' stacked offense and beefy defense will dominate.  

Here are some notes about this game:

- Never take Auburn lightly. They are akin to LSU. They figure out ways to win.

- If Georgia can beat Auburn and South Carolina loses to Florida, Georgia fans can book their rooms in Atlanta for the Dec. 3 Southeastern Conference Championship game. As they say in the sports world: “Georgia controls their own destiny.” The Dawgs have won their last seven games after coming off two losses.

If they beat Auburn on Saturday, most fans will brush aside the pain of the season's first two losses to Boise and South Carolina.    

- Georgia's quest for SEC East dominance starts not only at 3:30 on Saturday, but also in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks must lose in Columbia for the Dawgs to get a free trip to Atlanta. If that happens, there is only one hurdle remaining: beat Kentucky next week in the last home game. 

- Running back Isaiah Crowell is returning this week from suspension and word is out that this Columbus, GA native has grown up hating Auburn. Crowell is going to shoot across the field like a rocket launching. Also, look for Georgia's wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell to return ready for some breakout runs.  

- Auburn's young defensive line will start a freshman and three sophomores, so there could be some holes ready for a speedy Bulldog run. 

It’s going to be a tough, hard-fought game for Georgia, but this Bulldog team has matured in all areas. I predict they will handle this rebuilt Auburn Tigers (6-3, 4-2) team and give fans a storybook Saturday filled with their wishes for an Eastern division shot.