Auburn and Georgia to Renew Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

Auburn (7-3, 4-2) and Georgia (7-2, 4-2) will meet for the 111th time Saturday afternoon in Athens, Georgia.

Auburn holds an 18-9 advantage in games played in Athens, and an overall lead in the series 53-49-8. With the exception of the years spent in war, these two teams have played every year since 1898. In 110 games in the series, Georgia has outscored Auburn by only 20 points in the entire series. 

This rivalry is one of the greatest in college football and for good reason. These two teams are rich in tradition and great players. They claim the two greatest running backs in SEC history in Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker, and this game is never short on drama producing some classic games throughout the years. Here's a look back at recent history.

In 2005, Brandon Cox and Auburn hit a 4th and 10 play down to the Georgia 3 yard line to set up the game winning field goal with under 10 seconds left in the game, Auburn won 31-30 that night.

In 2004, both teams came in ranked in the top 5, Auburn went on to win that game 24-6 on their way to an undefeated season.

For Georgia fans, it doesn't get much better than in 2002, when Georgia came into Auburn with an SEC title shot on the line, they were the favorite that game, but found themselves down 21-17 and looking at 4th and 15 with under 2 minutes left,  deep in Auburn territory. One David Greene to Michael Johnson miracle pass later, Georgia had a touchdown and a 24-21 win, while Auburn had a heartbreaking loss. Georgia went on to win their first SEC Championship game.

In 2001, a freshman named Carnell "Cadillac" Williams made his debut in Athens, Georgia. Cadillac rushed for 167 yards on an Auburn single game record 41 carries that night and led Auburn to a 24-17 win that included a goal line stand as time expired to win the game.

In 2000, Rudi Johnson and Auburn won in overtime to send the Tigers to the SEC Championship game for the first time under Tommy Tuberville.

1999 was unforgettable for Auburn fans and one you wish you could forget if you were a Georgia fan. Auburn came into the game with a 4-5 record in Tommy Tuberville's first year, Georgia was a heavy favorite that night, but apparently Auburn quarterback Ben Leard and wide receiver Ronny Daniels didn't get the memo. Leard passed for an Auburn record 416 yards that night and Daniels went over 200 yards receiving as the Tigers drummed the Bulldogs 38-21 in a complete shocker.

These two teams even played in the first SEC overtime game in history in 1996, with Georgia winning the game 56-49 in 4 OT's.

Another aspect of this rivalry that makes it great is the players and coaches that tie these two teams together.

Vince Dooley was one of Georgia's greatest coaches, but was also an Auburn graduate. Pat Dye was one of Auburn's greatest coaches, but was also a Georgia graduate. Dooley and Dye battled many times in the 80's.

Those ties continue today. Auburn offensive line coach Hugh Nall played on the line at Georgia in the early 80's under Dooley, and Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was an All-SEC safety for Georgia in the early 90's. On the Georgia side, offensive line coach Stacy Searels was a great Auburn linemen in the late 80's with Pat Dye, and Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner was a defensive linemen for Auburn as well under Dye. Even the Auburn team has a close connection with this rivalry with 24 players on Auburn's roster calling the state of Georgia home.

So this game means a lot, to a whole lot of people. Most of all, it means a potential birth in the SEC Championship game or a BCS bowl game this year for both teams.

Saturday afternoon, another chapter will be added to this great series, and I for one wouldn't blink—because you might miss another great play in this great rivalry.