While the Auburn Tigers deserve credit for how their season has turned around after a disastrous 2012, the SEC is somewhat down this season and Georgia is a perfect example of that. Preseason, this matchup between the Tigers and Bulldogs looked like it could be a blowout with Georgia on the winning end. However, the Tigers are ranked seventh and the Bulldogs have limped to a No. 25 ranking, losing to some unexpected opponents.
Last season, Georgia beat the Tigers 38-0 at home as Auburn finished winless in the SEC. Could the same thing happen today but reversed? Georgia has won the past two matchups by a combined 83 points, but Auburn is a much different team his season, 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC.
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall is having a strong debut season. He leads all SEC quarterbacks with 734 rushing yards, averaging 17.7 passing attempts per game. He is the new Johnny Manziel, if not better. Against Tennessee last Saturday, Marshall put up a career-high 214yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries.
On top of Marshall's running abilities, true running back Tre Mason also added 117 yards and three touchdowns against the Vols. He has 16 touchdowns on the season, ranking him third in the FBS while his 1,050 yards rank 16th amongst running backs. The team's total 33 touchdowns is third in the NCAA just behind Baylor and Oregon.
Georgia is on a much different path. At 6-3 they are likely out of contention to play in Atlanta for an SEC Championship and they are totally out of the national championship talk, something they did not expect. The injury list is simply too long for the Bulldogs. They are expected to have back wide receiver Chris Conley and tight end Arthur Lynch which could help the team upset the Tigers.