No. 5 Georgia visits 13th-ranked Auburn

No. 5 Georgia (8-1, 5-1, No. 4 CFP) at No. 13 Auburn (7-2, 5-2, No. 13), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST (CBS).

Line: Georgia by 2 1/2.

Series record: Georgia leads 59-56-8.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Georgia would clinch a third consecutive Eastern Division title with a win and remain in control of its playoff destiny. The Tigers can often make or break a season over the closing three weeks with rivalry games against the Bulldogs and No. 4 Alabama.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn’s inconsistent offense against Georgia’s defense, which ranks second nationally in scoring defense (10.1 points per game) and is Top 5 in rushing and total yards allowed per game. The Tigers have the league’s No. 2 rushing offense but have struggled against top teams like Florida and LSU.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Georgia: LT Andrew Thomas and the offensive line have paved the way for a strong running game and given up a league-low five sacks. They’ll face one of the SEC’s best defensive fronts, led by Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson.

Auburn: QB Bo Nix has had his best games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The freshman will have to play well again given how hard it has been to run against the Bulldogs. He has thrown for a total of 675 yards in the Tigers’ last two home games against Mississippi and Mississippi State.

FACTS & FIGURES

Georgia-Auburn is tied for the second-most played among current series in the FBS with Cincinnati-Miami, Ohio (123). Minnesota and Wisconsin have played 128 times. … The road teams have fared well in this rivalry. Georgia is 16-12-2 in Auburn; the Tigers are 18-15 in Athens. … No SEC East team has won three division titles in a row since Florida won five straight from 1992-96. … Georgia and Auburn are two of the six FBS teams that haven’t allowed more than 24 points in a game, along with Clemson, Iowa, Ohio State and San Diego State. … Auburn is the only team that has played three teams ranked in the top 11 of this week’s AP poll (No. 1 LSU, No.6 Oregon, No. 11 Florida).

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