Nestled 156 miles southeast of Tuscaloosa and 180 miles southwest of Athens,
Ga., Auburn has had a unique vantage point in the SEC over the years as its two biggest rivals have climbed to the top of the college football ladder.
Auburn is one of just two teams in the league that faces both Alabama and Georgia annually,
with Tennessee being the other, in the SEC’s current eight-game format with one permanent cross-division rival.
So, every year, the Tigers have had to go up against Nick Saban’s Tide at the peak of their powers while also going head-to-head annually with the behemoth Kirby Smart has built at Georgia,
where the Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships.
Since Auburn last won the national title in 2010, its two biggest rivals have combined to win seven of the last 12 championships
— five for Alabama between 2011-2020 before Georgia’s consecutive College Football Playoff titles the last two years.
Given the success of both programs,
and particularly the Bulldogs’ recent surge to become the first team since the Tide in 2011-12 to go back-to-back, it begs the question.