If you’ve ever stood on the sidelines at Jordan-Hare Stadium or felt the hedges in Athens, you know this isn’t just another game. It’s different. People call it the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but honestly, that name feels too polite for what actually happens when these two teams meet.
They first played in 1892. Think about that.
Auburn won that first game 10-0 in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park, and allegedly, that’s where the "War Eagle" cry was born when a literal eagle decided to take a lap around the field. Fast forward to today, and we’re looking at a series that has seen 130 meetings. Georgia currently leads the all-time series 66-56-8, but those numbers don't tell the whole story of how much momentum has shifted recently.
The Kirby Smart Era Dominance
Let's be real: the last decade has been rough for the Tigers.
Kirby Smart has basically turned this rivalry into a personal playground. Since 2017, the Bulldogs have won nine straight games against Auburn. That ties the longest win streak in the history of the series—a record originally set by Georgia back between 1923 and 1931.
If you're an Auburn fan, you're probably tired of hearing about "process" and "recruiting gaps." But the gap is visible. In 2024, Georgia took care of business with a 31-13 win. Then, in October 2025, the Bulldogs walked into Auburn and escaped with a 20-10 victory.
That 2025 game was a heartbreaker for the Plains. Auburn actually led 10-0 early. It looked like the streak was finally going to snap. Then, CJ Allen forced a fumble at the goal line, and the air just left the stadium. Gunner Stockton, stepping in at QB, eventually sealed it with a bootleg touchdown.
🔗 Read more: Buddy Hield Sacramento Kings: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
It’s these "almost" moments that define the recent Auburn vs Georgia football timeline.
Why the 2026 Matchup Feels Different
We are heading into the 131st meeting in 2026, and the stakes are climbing. Georgia has a chance to set a new all-time rivalry record with ten consecutive wins. For Hugh Freeze, the pressure is reaching a boiling point. You can only lose to your "big brother" so many times before the boosters start looking at buyouts.
Freeze actually beat Smart once back when he was at Ole Miss in 2016, but he’s 0-3 against him since taking the Auburn job.
Moments That Still Haunt (and Thrill) Fans
This rivalry is built on weirdness. If you ask a Georgia fan about 2013, they’ll probably mention the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare." Fourth and 18. Nick Marshall throws a desperation heave. It deflects off two Georgia defenders and lands right in Ricardo Louis’s hands.
Auburn wins. Georgia's season is ruined.
But then you have 1986. Georgia fans stormed the field at Auburn, and the stadium staff responded by turning on the industrial sprinklers. There’s literally footage of fans being blasted by fire hoses. It’s petty. It’s chaotic. It’s exactly why we love college football.
💡 You might also like: Why the March Madness 2022 Bracket Still Haunts Your Sports Betting Group Chat
- 1892: The first game. Auburn wins, and a Civil War eagle supposedly starts a legend.
- 1996: The first-ever SEC game to go to overtime. Georgia came back from 28-7 to win in four OTs.
- 2017: They played twice. Auburn crushed a #1 Georgia in the regular season, but Georgia got revenge in the SEC Championship to clinch a playoff spot.
The series was tied as recently as 2014. That is wild. For over 100 years, these teams were neck-and-neck until the current Georgia dynasty pulled away.
The Cultural Divide of 170 Miles
The two schools are only about two and a half hours apart. Families are split. You’ll see "House Divided" flags all over the border towns like Columbus and LaGrange.
Vince Dooley, the legendary Georgia coach? He played at Auburn. Pat Dye, the man who built modern Auburn football? He played at Georgia. It’s a literal family feud. Pat Dye famously said playing Georgia was like "playing against your brother." You want to beat him, but you still have to eat Thanksgiving dinner with him.
Except right now, the older brother is hogging all the food.
Tactical Shifts to Watch
Georgia’s defense under Kirby Smart has stayed consistently elite, but Auburn has struggled to find an identity at quarterback. Whether it was Payton Thorne or Jackson Arnold, the Tigers haven't been able to sustain drives against the Bulldogs’ front six.
To win in 2026, Auburn has to fix the offensive line. In the 2025 game, Auburn gave up an SEC-leading 21 sacks through just the first half of the season. You can't beat Kirby Smart while your quarterback is running for his life.
📖 Related: Mizzou 2024 Football Schedule: What Most People Get Wrong
Practical Steps for Fans Attending the Next Game
If you're planning to head to Athens for the 2026 installment, keep a few things in mind.
First, tickets for this game usually hit the secondary market at a 200% markup compared to non-conference games. Buy early. If you're tailgating in Athens, the best spots near Myers Quad fill up by Friday afternoon.
For those traveling to Auburn in the future, make sure you're in your seat 20 minutes before kickoff. You don't want to miss the eagle flight. It’s one of the few things in sports that actually lives up to the hype.
Check the SEC schedule rotations. With the expansion of the conference and the loss of traditional divisions, the "annual" nature of this game was briefly threatened, but the SEC (thankfully) kept it as a protected rivalry. It’s too much money and too much history to let go.
Monitor the injury reports and the transfer portal window. In the modern era, a starting receiver can switch sides in December and be lining up against his old teammates by the next October. Keep an eye on the recruiting rankings for both teams on 247Sports or On3, as Georgia's depth has been the deciding factor in the fourth quarter for the last five years.
Auburn’s path back to relevance in this rivalry starts on the recruiting trail. They’ve kept it close in Jordan-Hare, but the talent gap eventually shows up on the scoreboard. Until the Tigers can match Georgia’s line-of-scrimmage depth, the Bulldogs will likely remain the favorites.