Three years ago, a staggering Georgia team arrived at Jordan-Hare Stadium with four losses. It had been beaten by Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Bulldog faithful were not happy.
Freshman quarterback Matt Stafford had a breakout game and Georgia stunned the No. 5 Tigers 37-15. They went on to beat Georgia Tech, beat Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and turn what looked like a disaster into a feel-good finish.
Once again, Georgia has four losses going into Saturday night's game at Sanford Stadium. But there are some significant differences.
Georgia doesn't have a future first-round draft choice at quarterback, and Auburn isn't a top five team. But once again, Georgia faces perhaps its last chance to make something good out of a disappointing season.
In Gene Chizik's first season, Auburn has already exceeded expectations. With a win over Georgia, the Tigers can turn a good season into an outstanding one. They can secure a bowl bid in a nice holiday locale.
It will not be easy.
As Chizik pointed out Sunday, three of the Bulldogs' four losses are to top 10 teams. They might well have beaten LSU at home had it not been for a boneheaded call by an official.
It shapes up to be another classic game in a series filled with classic games. It should be fun.
