Auburn makes a major statement, exposing Georgia in the process

AUBURN, Ala. — The best team in the Southeastern Conference isn’t Georgia, that much we know. The Bulldogs began Saturday atop the College Football Playoff poll and will enter Sunday as one of college football’s great enigmas: Is Georgia for real or a pretender?

Let Auburn give an answer. There was no magic here at Jordan-Hare Stadium, no tipped-pass touchdown as time expired, and there was no fluke. One team, Auburn, just beat the hell out of another team, Georgia, without doing anything extraordinary.

“We’re Auburn. They’re Georgia,” said sophomore offensive lineman Marquel Harrell. “You come to Auburn for a reason, and that’s the reason why.”

So there’s the response to the question. Georgia is not for real, in the sense that this is a team that can win the national championship. And if the Bulldogs are for real — and Saturday says they are not — Auburn is the best football team this side of the NFL. The Tigers destroyed Georgia. They’d do the same tomorrow, next Saturday and on the first Saturday of December, should the two meet again to decide the SEC championship.