3 reasons Georgia fans shouldn’t hit the panic button
By John Buhler
So what if the Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Auburn Tigers on Saturday? Here are three reasons Dawg Nation can chill out and feel good about their team.
Yeah, it was terrible for Dawg Nation on Saturday. Losing to the No. 10 rival Auburn Tigers in a rout on the road was awful for the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. It wasn’t even close, but this is the reality. Georgia is the latest undefeated team at the FBS level to fall this season. People will poke fun at the Dawgs horrendous loss on the road to Auburn, but it’s not the end of the world for Georgia.
The team is 9-1 on the year and has already won the SEC East division title. Losing to a major rival on the road in Auburn stinks but it’s not anything Georgia cannot overcome the rest of the way. This was the first time in over a decade that Georgia began the season with a 9-0 record. It’s only the second year Kirby Smart has been in charge of his alma mater’s program.
Sure, it was a drubbing, but Georgia will grow and learn from this. There is no need for Dawg Nation to fall to pieces after this embarrassing loss to cross-divisional rival Auburn.
3. This is a major rivalry game and these sort of things happen.
Though it is not the biggest rival for either team, Auburn and Georgia absolutely hate each other. This is the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, after all. Auburn and Georgia play each other annually and their intrinsic animosity is the reason why cross-divisional rivalries still exist in the SEC. Don’t get at me, Third Saturday in October fans, Tennessee is a gimme win for Alabama.
When two teams harbor such hate for each other, it should come as no surprise that the home team could come out on top. Auburn normally holds serve at home over Georgia anyway but playing in Athens is a different story. But, this one was down on The Plains, so Auburn it was.
In the history of major college football, this rivalry between Auburn and Georgia can get lost. It is a tad too southern for other parts of the country to really respect. However, it carries tremendous weight in the SEC as a top-five rivalry in the conference. Families are often split apart by this game, yours included.
In essence, losing to the second-biggest rival you’ll have to face in a year isn’t the worst thing possible if you are a Georgia fan. Your Dawgs already beat arch-nemesis Florida with only Kentucky and Georgia Tech remaining. Georgia is already playing in the SEC Championship so there is no reason to cry one’s self to sleep after this putrid loss to the Tigers at Auburn.