Guerry Clegg: Georgia vs. Auburn might be meaningful after all
This college football season began with such hope for Georgia and Auburn.
Each was getting some attention from various media outlets for reaching the College Football Playoff. Each had a Heisman hopeful, Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson and Georgia running back Nick Chubb.
The biggest question was whether their meeting on the second Saturday of November would be a prelude to the SEC championship game.
Their seasons have taken parallel paths, all right. Just not in the kindest of ways. Johnson has been benched, and Chubb is out for the season with a knee injury.
Now there's the strong possibility that when the meet in 3½ weeks the only thing that will be on the line will be bowl eligibility.
Both are coming off three-point wins -- Auburn over Kentucky, Georgia over Missouri -- that avoided what almost certainly would have been devastating losses.
But the fact is they both won, and by doing so they kept alive their chances to finish on something of a positive note.
No, they won't make the playoff. Only Georgia has a decent chance of reaching the SEC championship game -- that is, if the Bulldogs can find a way to beat Florida. Even then, they'd have to beat Kentucky and Auburn. Still, it's within their grasp if Alabama beats Tennessee Saturday.
The Tigers' chances are almost incalculable. Not only do they have to win out, which itself is daunting with Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama remaining on the SEC schedule. But they'd also have to get some help to force the right combination of ties.
Still, with two losses each, both teams have a chance to finish 9-3 or 8-4 and play in bowl games that at least people have heard of.
That might be less than satisfying for fan bases that just a month ago dreamed of winning a championship. But it certainly would beat the alternative of a losing season, which still remains a possibility for both teams, depending on the bowl matchups.
Maybe the worst-case scenario will play out for one or both teams. If that happens, then they'll deal with it and start working on building for next season. But the point is there's
still far too much football left to be played for either team to give up on this season.
For Auburn, it begins Saturday in Arkansas. The Razorbacks did beat Tennessee in Knoxville and gave Alabama all it could handle for three quarters. Their defense is stout and their running game is old school power football. The Tigers will have to play better than they did against Kentucky to have a chance. But winning on the road at Kentucky should boost their confidence, which is such a huge part of college football.
If the Tigers win Saturday, even by the narrowest of margins and by the ugliest of means, they certainly would have a chance to beat Ole Miss at home on Halloween.
If they win those two games, all of a sudden they're 6-2 going to Texas A&M.
Aside from Alabama, there's probably no team left on their schedule that presents a complete mismatch of talent. Say they go 3-2 in the rest of their SEC games and beat Idaho.
That's 8-4, a very respectable finish considering some people had their dead and buried just two weeks ago.
As for Georgia, much hinges on how the Bulldogs play against Florida in two weeks. They have a much needed week off to get some injured players healthy.
Yes, they're going to have to get better play at quarterback somebody, be it Greyson Lambert, Brice Ramsey or perhaps even some special packages with Faton Bauta.
If he's really as athletic, mobile and competitive as the coaches say he is, perhaps they can work him in a few series to run the read-option and keep Sony Michel from taking such a beating.
They could survive losing to Florida as long as they play well enough to give them a fighting chance against Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia Tech. Surely, things aren't so bad that beating Georgia Southern would seem less than a given.
Of course, the common denominator is winning that second Saturday in November. The Georgia-Auburn game might turn out to be meaningful after all.
-- Guerry Clegg is an indepdent correspondent. You can write to him at sports@ledger-enquirer.com.
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Guerry Clegg: Georgia vs. Auburn might be meaningful after all ."