Auburn heads to Athens on Saturday facing the toughest kind of road assignment: No. 1 Georgia, kickoff at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The Tigers enter at 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while Georgia comes in unbeaten at 5-0 and 3-0. Around AL.com, the weekly prediction exercise is back, and both picks lean hard toward the Bulldogs.
Jerry Humphrey III sees Auburn hanging around longer than some might expect, but still coming up short in a 35-21 Georgia win. He called this Auburn’s biggest test of the season outside of the Iron Bowl and pointed to Georgia’s elite talent on both sides of the ball, along with last week’s win over Alabama.
The Bulldogs are No. 2 in the country in scoring at 46.2 points per game, and Auburn will need more consistency on offense before the game gets away from it. Still, Humphrey noted that Auburn is coming off a bye week, while Georgia is coming off a hard-fought battle, even if true road environments have already caused trouble for the Tigers this season.
Peter Rauterkus is even more blunt in his forecast, choosing Georgia 31, Auburn 10. He framed the matchup through the lens of the recent series history, noting Georgia is chasing a series-record 10th straight win in the rivalry.
Rauterkus also pointed to the difference in talent as plain to see, with Auburn in rebuild mode in Year 1 under Alex Golesh. He wrote that Auburn’s offense has sputtered against Power Four competition so far, and that the run defense has given up 200-plus rushing yards in two of three SEC games this season.
Rauterkus added that Auburn’s bye week gives the Tigers a rest advantage and extra time to address some offensive problems, while Georgia may still be dealing with the effects of its physical win over Alabama. That could keep things close early, he wrote, but not for long. Georgia, in his view, has too much talent to let Auburn stay in the game.
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Auburn Has A Real Chance To Make Georgia Sweat
Auburn heads into its matchup with Georgia carrying the kind of underdog profile that can make a favorite uncomfortable, at least on paper. SportsLines 1,000 simulations point to the Tigers covering the spread nearly 60 percent of the time, a nod to a game model that sees Auburn in better shape than the oddsmakers do. The Tigers are also coming off a bye week, and the projections lean toward a lower-scoring game in which Auburns rushing attack could look sharper.
There are still obvious hurdles to clear in Athens, starting with Georgias home dominance under Kirby Smart and Auburns own personnel hit after linebacker Xavier Atkins was suspended. But the simulation results suggest this might be more than a routine road spot for the Tigers, especially if they can control tempo and make the game play out on their terms. The question now is whether Auburn can turn that theoretical edge into the kind of performance that forces Georgia into a real fight. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces The SEC Test That Could Change Everything
Week 7 brings the kind of SEC slate that can reshape an October in a hurry, and Auburn is right in the middle of it with a trip to face Georgia drawing plenty of attention. Around the league, five analysts have weighed in on eight upcoming conference matchups, underscoring how much uncertainty still hangs over the race and how thin the margin is in games like Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee and Missouri-Ole Miss.
For Auburn, the matchup is about more than just another prediction column. It is the sort of test that can alter the conversation around the Tigers in a hurry, because every SEC weekend seems to carry extra weight and every pick comes with a built-in argument. The forecasts are only opinions, of course, but they reflect the stakes well enough: Auburn is heading into one of those Saturdays where the result can change how the rest of the season feels. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's QB Situation Just Changed How Auburn Sees The Vols
Tennessees quarterback picture has become a little clearer, and that matters for Auburn as the Tigers continue sorting out what the Volunteers will look like when they meet next. George MacIntyre is set to make his second straight start with Faizon Brandon still dealing with a shoulder injury, a development that gives Tennessee a different kind of offense than the one it had been planning around earlier in the season.
Josh Heupel confirmed MacIntyre will get the nod because Brandon is not healthy, and the bigger concern for Tennessee is how long this situation lingers. Brandon has not finished a game since Sept. 26 and already sat out the previous matchup against Arkansas, so Auburn now has another week of film to study a Vols attack led by a quarterback still trying to settle in under center. [Read more 🡒]