STULTZ: Auburn-UGA rivalry never more lopsided

There was once a time when Auburn going into Sanford Stadium meant trouble for Georgia. There’s also a time when the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry was the most anticipated game (outside of the Iron Bowl, of course) on Auburn’s schedule.

The anticipation was never-ending. Days counting up to the game against those bad guys from Athens was like the countdown to Christmas. Fans on both sides were ready to tailgate, talk trash, cheer for their respective team and then, depending on the winner, bow their head down while walking home or celebrating a major win against that damn team.

It’s come to a point where this game is treated as a joke and not a competitive game. Since Brandon Cox found Devin Aromashodu on a 4th-and-long and Courtney Taylor recovered the ball in the end zone to give Auburn a victory in 2005, the Tigers are winless in Athens in seven attempts. And, let’s face it: most of those games weren’t even that close.

Things are a bit better at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but not by much. Cam Newton ran over the Dawgs in 2010. The miraculous pass to Ricardo Louis saved Auburn in 2013, and a blowout of No. 1 Georgia in 2017 was negated by a loss three weeks later against the same Kirby Smart-led team in Atlanta.

But total domination by Georgia has been the story. And, as Auburn enters the 127th playing of this nasty rivalry on Saturday, we shouldn’t expect anything less. Heck, for probably the first time in this annual game that dates back to 1892, there’s perhaps never been a more significant gap between the two programs. Kirby Smart and the Dawgs are coming off a national championship, ranked No. 2 in the nation and look every bit like they will be difficult to beat in the playoffs.

Auburn? Yeah, not so much.

It’s sad, really. There used to be hope. There used to be faith that Auburn would go in between the hedges and put a pounding on them damn dirty Dawgs. That’s not the case anymore, and it isn’t this Saturday. Georgia hasn’t been impressive the last two weeks, but there’s no feeling that the Bulldogs won’t be able to name the score.

I love this rivalry. I think it is one of the top 10 in college football due to the history and hatred. I remember as a college freshman seeing Ben Leard and Ronney Daniels put up big yards continuously in Sanford. The fourth-down pass from David Greene was as heartbreaking as it was heart-stopping for Auburn fans. There have been many great moments in the matchups between these two.

Unless something extraordinary happens on Saturday, it will just be another game that will be forgotten in a few days. After that, Georgia will move on to its next opponent. Auburn, at the same time, could be moving on to another coach. That’s the only reason this game is actually interesting. Not the battle of the offensive and defensive lines. Not which star will shine the brightest in a nationally-televised game. Nope, it will be if a certain coach can withstand another defeat. And, to be fair, it isn’t just Harsin responsible for this. It also goes back to Tommy Tuberville, Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn.

But the fact is this: that’s the point where we have reached with this rivalry if Georgia fans even still consider it that. The Dawgs have bigger fish to fry, and the Tigers are just another appetizer to consume along the way.

There might not be a more defeating statement.