Guerry Clegg: Auburn, UGA, Tech far from lofty projections

If misery really does love company, then the Georgia, Auburn and Georgia Tech football teams and their fans should form a support

group.

All three teams entered the season with high hopes and expectations. All three were ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll -- Auburn at No. 6, Georgia at No. 9 and Georgia Tech at No. 16. Auburn was the media's preseason pick to win the SEC -- over Georgia in the championship game. Tech was heavily favored to win the ACC's Coastal Division.

That seems like such a long time ago.

All three teams have seen their seasons spiraling into a freefall.

As the regular season enters the final month, at least two of the three -- Auburn and Tech -- are in danger of falling short of the six wins required for bowl eligibility.

Georgia is 5-3 and plays Georgia Southern. Surely the Bulldogs aren't so bad that they can't win that game.

Auburn is 4-4 and plays Idaho, so that should give the Tigers five wins. They would have to beat Texas A&M, Georgia or Alabama to find a sixth win. Let me rephrase that. They would have to beat Texas A&M or Georgia to find a sixth win.

Georgia Tech, at 3-6, must win out against Virginia Tech, Miami and Georgia just to get to six wins.

Sure, tough seasons are nothing new to any of the three schools. But it's very rare for all three to suffer through bad seasons together.

The last time two of the three schools didn't play in a bowl game was 1996, when Tech and Georgia stayed home. The last time all three schools lost at least five games in the same season was 1977. Mark Richt was in high school.

With 13 combined losses so far and two more losses guaranteed -- since Georgia has to play Auburn and Tech -- the three teams are assured of at least 15 combined losses. The only other time they had more than that was 2012, when Auburn lost nine games and Tech seven. But that was the year Georgia came within one play of beating Alabama in the SEC championship game and playing for the national championship.

Twenty combined losses is still mathematically possible.

So which team has been the biggest bust? That answer is largely in the eye of the beholder. Also, the script remains unfinished.

Right now, a slight edge has to be given to Georgia Tech. For one thing, the Yellow Jackets have the worst record. True, two of those losses were to Clemson and Notre Dame. Three others were to North Carolina, Duke and Pitt, which have five combined losses -- four if you don't count that horrendous Duke-Miami finish.

But none of those Coastal Division rivals have any impressive wins. North Carolina lost to South Carolina. Plus, Tech also has one really bad loss, last week to Virginia.

Of the three, Auburn has the worst blot on its resume. Ironically, that was a win. The Tigers needed overtime to beat Jacksonville State, an FCS opponent. They have played better since getting blown out by LSU. And their schedule has been by far the hardest among the three teams.

The Tigers also had more deficiencies. Their problems on offense mirror Georgia's -- poor quarterback play and an unproductive running game, especially with Nick Chubb out for the season with a knee injury. But their defense also has been poor (not that Georgia's defense could be confused with Alabama's).

Georgia is playing the worst right now, mainly because the Bulldogs can't get out of their own way. Yet, they also have the best chance to salvage a decent season. All four of their remaining games are winnable -- Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Southern and Tech. If they win out, they would finish the regular season at 9-3 and have a shot at a 10-win season.

Of course, first they have to figure out how to score a touchdown. Otherwise, things could get even uglier.

-- Guerry Clegg is an independent correspondent. You can write to him at sports@ledger-enquirer.com

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Guerry Clegg: Auburn, UGA, Tech far from lofty projections ."