During the Richt era, a common rebuttal to Georgia never having a truly awful season (2010 was the only year Richt’s Dawgs finished under .500) was hey, look at Auburn. Sure, everyone acknowledged the occasional season of crap on the Plains, but Marshall! Cam! 2004! Yeah, plenty of Georgia fans pronounced themselves happy to trade places and swap results.
Here’s what reality looks like.
The last time the Tigers had consecutive 10-win seasons was under Dye in 1988 and ’89. The last time they finished in the AP top 10 two years running was under Bowden in 1993 and ’94. And the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry has pivoted to Georgia. Since the fourth-and-10 Devon Aromashodu catch/run/fumble of 2005, the Tigers are 3-10 against their neighbor.
Sure, we seem to have the best of both worlds now, but I’m curious. Those of you out there who felt like that — c’mon, don’t be ashamed to admit it — did you really understand what you were asking for? Do you still stand by it?
Get The Picture 
I always thought the argument was silly for anyone who cared about tradition.
LikeLike
Speaking of Auburn like things, anyone heard anything about Holyfield getting busted for weed?
LikeLike
Are you planning on asking this in every comment thread today? Please stop.
LikeLike
Sorry, I didn’t think the other posted.
LikeLike
Forgive me Senator for I have sinned….
LikeLike
No to defend Auburn, because they are terrible people who do not deserve it, but they are hammered biannually with their schedule. Closing at UGA and at Bama makes it also impossible to string together back to back 10 win seasons. Also, prior to the 2003 schedule change, their other permanent from the East was Florida during the Spurrier run.
LikeLike
No it doesn’t. You just have to beat two tough teams in a row. Jeez, don’t enable their whining. They didn’t complain about this when Mike Shula was coaching Alabama. It’s their fault for not being competitive enough with Saban’s Tide.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An explanation and an excuse aren’t the same thing.
I don’t care if they never win another game. But don’t act as if that closing stretch every other year on the road isn’t a bear. That’s simply not true.
LikeLike
The converse is also true. In odd numbered years the Aubies get both Georgia and Bama at Auburn which gives them an advantage. If they can split those games up so they don’t play consecutively it’s even more of an advantage in those years. They owe us 2 consecutive games in Athens too—don’t forget that.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well aware.
LikeLike
God if we get pushed around on this Auburn shot across the bow, McGarity deserves everything that comes his way.
So fully expect to play there twice in a row in late September or Mid-October.
LikeLike
That change happened in 2014. What explains the prior inconsistency?
LikeLiked by 1 person
That Auburn complaint about how tough it is to have us and Bama both on the road in even years is a crock. First of all, they get both of us at home in odd years under the current format.
Second, and more relevant to your point, they’ve only had to play those two games on the road twice. 2014 and 2016, so that can hardly be an excuse for their failure to put together back to back 10 win seasons in the last 30 years.
Finally, they took the benefit of back to back home games in order to get to this current set up. Now that they see the downside they want to move a game that’s had it’s current spot on our schedule for my entire lifetime, at least, to soften the blow.
So I’ve got good news for you, gatriguy, there’s no need to defend those terrible people on this either.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I’m not how much clearer I can be about my feelings for Auburn. I legit don’t care if they ever win again. It’s simply context
LikeLike
And your context is bullshit. They were struggling at putting up consistent winning seasons WELL before this schedule change happened. And if they were really sincere about “fixing” it, then just play us two straight at home and we’ll get right back to the way things were. When they were still a rollercoaster.
LikeLike
Ok, I’m done. I’m not disagreeing with anyone on this, but clearly I fucked up my explanation. Or I’m just an idiot. Either way, I’m out.
LikeLike
Not an idiot at all. Maybe poorly phrased or incomplete in the original statement, but then again we are all guilty of that.
Sorry for the harsh tone.
Auburn sucks.
LikeLike
And who’s fault is that? Auburn had the schedule set with one home and the other road and McGarity bent over for them. Now they complain about it and Mcgarity is about to bend over for them again.
We play Florida and Auburn nearly back to back. When they were both good, we just sucked it up. Screw Auburn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. And McG better not give an inch on this. Make them come to Athens twice.
LikeLike
It’s not impossible for them to string together back to back 10-win seasons. They could lose to us and Bama, and beat everyone else. Or they could lose a 3rd game, finish at 9-3, then win a bowl game. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s possible.
LikeLike
No argument.
LikeLike
I think the bigger point the Senator is making is not about the back to back 10 win seasons (which have been pretty rare for Georgia and Auburn), but is that a really terrible season for Georgia is 6-7 (with a bowl appearance), while Auburn has had a true dumpster fire every two-three seasons for a long time now. Georgia has not been irrelevant since Goff was fired.
It is a point I have been trying to make for years, and I have always thought it was a reflection of Auburn’s (poor/corrupt/short-sighted) management at the administrative level. I feel like they are always this close to a total collapse on the level that UT is currently experiencing.
LikeLike
We will have the longest active bowl streak if FSU and VT whiff this year. It’s not a huge thing to hang yer hat on, but it shows that we never truly get dumpster-fireish. There are clearly reasons for that. Which I am mostly OK with.
LikeLike
Yeah, I get it. I agree.
LikeLike
I always thought this was a silly argument as well.. I would never have wanted to go through Auburn’s humiliating 2012 with my players literally quitting on the field against a rival, two years removed from a national title. It makes your programs’ successes look like flukes. I want to establish a base camp near the peak and try to climb the rest of the way.
Of course, I was also against firing Richt (although I was excited once we hired Kirby) so I’m not always right, either.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This describes me: I would rather win all the time and always have a chance than the boom/bust cycle of Auburn AND I liked Coach Richt. I’m warming up to Kirby. /s
LikeLike
I heard Tony Barnhart say this Kirby Smart fellow has a chance to be a good coach.
LikeLike
Conventional wisdom says I can’t be wrong when qualifying anything with the use of ambiguous words such as ‘chance’ and ‘good’.
LikeLike
That 2012 goose egg at Auburn was glorious.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I’d love another on this weekend.
LikeLike
I never wanted to trade places with them, I merely want/wanted our team to beat their asses every time we play them. I feel the same about every other team that ever has or will appear on our schedule.
Cam Newton is still an asshole and I’m glad he never played a down for the Dawgs. Maybe I wouldn’t feel that way had we won the natty with him as QB, but we did not. I wouldn’t have traded CMR for Chizik or Mahlzahn, and as much fun as I poke at Bobo, it was and still fun.I love my Dawg’s win or lose.
aubrun sucks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Has it ever occurred to you what would have happened if Cam Newton hadn’t stolen that laptop? He would have succeeded Timmy as the Gator QB and FU likely would have won 2 more natties.
LikeLike
Not really. I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about Cam. Except for auburn hate week, when I need a little sumpin-sumpin to keep the fire hot. 😉
LikeLike
Had Cam not stolen the laptop he still would have left UF. He had become academically ineligible. He had to go to Blinn to regain academic standing.
LikeLike
Plus, their 2013 run was by definition a fluke. Two of the most bizarre plays in a 3 week period–oh, and against the two foes they’re complaining about scheduling misfortunes.
LikeLike
I never felt that way. Similarly, some people told me they’d rather have been Marlins fans over the last quarter of a century or so because they have twice as many World Series titles as the Braves. I think those people are nuts, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My opposition to firing Richt was twofold.
I didn’t want to wander the wilderness like Tennessee and I didn’t want the 12-0 followed by the awful years like Auburn, no matter how much I wanted that championship.
I wanted Richt to be given all the support that there was to be given to go win a championship as I watched him be hamstrung by inept, miserly management for his tenure at UGA.
I am enjoying every second of Kirby grinding teams to pulp, with a department that is giving him every opportunity to succeed. I love the power of AND. Had Richt had this support when the SEC was down and before Saban returned, I’m confident our last title wouldn’t be before i was born.
LikeLiked by 3 people
So what’s his excuse at Miami?
LikeLike
So stick with me a moment. It is entirely possible that a coach can have greater success at a school that is stacked with talent than at a school largely bereft of talent. It is also possible for a Coach to do better at one school than another.
It’s also even possible that one can walk and chew gum at the same time, though with you, that’s always been a debatable point.
LikeLike
But it’s not at all possible that the reason he didn’t get the support at Georgia that Kirby gets is because he didn’t push hard enough? I’m tired of hearing the excuse that “if only Richt had gotten the support that Kirby gets.” Kirby gets that support because he demanded it. You want to blame somebody for Georgia not supporting the program enough? Blame Richt for not using his leverage to get it when he had it.
LikeLike
Glad Richt is now Miami’s problem, good luck with the long con down there.
LikeLike
CMR almost won a nattie in 2012 anyway and IMHO the Dawgs were the best team at the end of 2007 and would have beaten any other team in the country in the BCSNCG if they had gotten the chance to play.
LikeLike
They didn’t get the chance to play because of an embarrassing loss to a bad Tennessee team.
LikeLike
And LSU got to play despite an embarrassing home lose to Arkansas and at Kentucky. All the teams had warts that year. But it took the Herbie rule to keep us out of the top two when 2 of the 3 teams above us lost the last week of the season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Truth.
LikeLike
I didn’t support the argument but this is kinda like having an 8 at home and watching a single buddy who occassionally brings home a 10, but also is prone to mix in some Coyote Uglies as well. You can’t help be curious what one of those 10’s would be like.
LikeLike
When I see a 10, I’m reminded of the old adage that no matter how good lookin a woman is, she’s got a man in her life that is sick of her shit.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Preach, brother.
LikeLike
Truth!
LikeLike
Good one! I lol’d here at work, luckily no one was around my desk at the time or I would’ve caught some funny looks.
LikeLike
Many a Coyote Ugly have sustained Tony through an otherwise cold and lonely night. Conventional Wisdom says Coyote Uglies need loving too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I had a truck, I would drive it and like it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I dont see anyone willing to admit it yet, but it was a pretty common opinion for about a decade.
LikeLike
I had the argument with people a few times. I wouldn’t trade for their 2010 if it came with their 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. I wouldn’t trade our last ten wins (six Glorious routs) over them for any glass trophy.
LikeLike
I always feel like flipping UT and Auburn were right up there with any other accomplishment.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Agreed, and don’t forget Donnan had lost 3 in a row to Tech. Richt owned them, especially at their place.
I enjoyed all of those.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s a fresh point about Georgia vs. Auburn (though slightly subjective): I would make the case that following Dooley, all three Georgia coaches have left the program in good shape. Following Goff, Donnan, and Richt- Donnan Richt and Smart have all been in position to win big in year two with their predecessor’s talent, each maybe a little moreso than the coach before. Georgia has trended slowly but steadily upward from about ’97 on with only a few small hiccups.
Then look at Auburn: the wild card is Dye, who left a shambles, though Bowden won quickly (from behind NCAA bars). But Barfield, Dye, Bowden, Tommy of the T’ubervilles, and Chizook left a flaming package on the doorstep of their successors. Does anyone doubt Malzook’s destiny to do the same?
LikeLike
To live through it it’s better to be in our shoes but in 40 years they’ll still have that National Championship banner in their stadium and nobody will give 2 shits about a bunch of 10 win seasons. The obvious answer is it’s better to be consistently good and also grab a championship every now and then.
LikeLike
That’s ultra-simplistic. Your program builds momentum off the steady stuff, not one big flash season with a rented player, followed by years of misery.
Three appearances in the Sugar Bowl and a Rose Bowl, one of college football’s longest bowl streaks, dominance of your rivalries, placing your players in the NFL, and yes- ten win seasons add up to a lot more than what Cam Newton (Heisman aside) did for the Barn.
LikeLike
I was always consistent that I would never have traded places with Auburn. They may have won big, but they’ll never remove the stain. They are regarded nationally, rightfully so, as a dirty program. And they’re the brunt of more jokes than they are the subject of any high praise.
LikeLiked by 2 people
They’re also free to run a football program without the impediment of an actual school.
LikeLike
I’ll take our sustained performance over the roller coaster that is the Alabama Cow College. I want a national championship, but there’s a hell of a lot outside your control that goes into winning one.
Win the SEC and the rest takes care of itself.
LikeLike
I like trucks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t care for Auburn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whatever happened to Malzahn wanting to move to the SEC East?
LikeLike
It’s almost like it doesn’t look as inviting anymore.
I wouldn’t mind them realigning the divisions, if everyone could keep their traditional rivals. So by all means Auburn, come on over, but you’re still gonna play Bama every year.
LikeLike
I’m not sure many of the people who longed for the peaks and valleys are still around. I wanted to get rid of Richt, but I wouldn’t have traded his consistent 9 to 10 wins for Auburn’s craziness.
LikeLike
I’ll admit to often having the debate, even sometimes -albeit briefly!- willing to make the trade and understand why others would too….but we all know that argument was a direct result of watching them win a NC and play for another, while we sat on the outside looking in. That is the ONLY thing worth any envy out of that place. However, were we still only an above average 10-win team, the debate would be going strong. But that was all BK…Before Kirby!
LikeLike
Kirby finally flipped the script. He just choses a different way to roster manage than the Bus. Even Stidham transferred in.
LikeLike
F the barn.
LikeLike
Given the runs we had in 2007 and 2012 I was comfortable where we were vs. Auburn. I was beginning to go down a different path, however, after 2015. That was a downer of a 10-win season.
LikeLike