Athens — Not only is the Deep South's oldest college football rivalry one of the most closely contested, it's also one of the cruelest.

Whether it's Georgia or Auburn, the team with the most to lose in this series often does just that — much to the delight of the other's fans.

BRANT SANDERLIN / AJC (ENLARGE)

Auburn fans glumly watch the final minutes of last season's duel, which Georgia won on the road by a 37-15 score.

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Take last year's game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers were ranked No. 5 nationally, had designs on a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game and were breaking down scenarios for possibly reaching the national title game.

Meanwhile, unranked Georgia was struggling behind a freshman quarterback, had lost four of its past five games and was sweating out a bowl bid for the first time in 10 years.

Of course, the Bulldogs manhandled Auburn 37-15, knocking the Tigers out of contention for an SEC title and a BCS bowl bid. Auburn finished 11-2, Georgia 9-4.

"They [ruined] our season," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville recalled this week. "Georgia came in and hit us from play one and never let up. It's hard to forget those type of games."

There have been plenty of them in a series separated over 115 years by four games and 20 points, and they go back as far as anyone can remember.

Georgia represented the Tigers' only loss in 1912 and '14. And the Bulldogs suffered one of their greatest upsets ever at the hands of Auburn in 1942.

That season, Georgia was undefeated, ranked No. 1 and eagerly awaiting an Athens showdown the next weekend with No. 2 Georgia Tech.

But Auburn had other ideas. The 4-4-1 Tigers came into Columbus — where the teams played annually then — and ran roughshod over the Bulldogs with their new-fangled offense, 27-13.

"The only game we lost all season," All-American halfback Charley Trippi said years later. "Auburn was [a] T-formation team, one of the few around, and we didn't know how to stop it."

Spoiling perfection has been a common theme in the series. Georgia forged a 23-23 tie at Auburn in 1994 to snap the Tigers' 20-game winning streak. And Auburn won 13-7 in Athens in 1983, handing the Bulldogs their only defeat of the season and breaking Georgia's streak of 23 SEC games without a loss.

Auburn tried to play heartbreaker in 2005, beating the SEC East-leading Bulldogs on a last-second field goal after an incredible fourth-down play. But the Bulldogs were bailed out when South Carolina beat Florida later that day, and Georgia went on to win the SEC championship.

"Auburn has had a lot of success ruining Georgia's chances for SEC titles and Georgia has kind of returned the favor," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "Because the game is situated late in the season, there have been times they've spoiled our party and there have been times we have spoiled their party."

This time around, Georgia looks to be the team with the most to lose. The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-2 SEC) lead the SEC East and need to win out and have Tennessee lose to win the division outright and reach the SEC championship game.

Auburn (7-3, 4-2) is tied for second in the West, but LSU needs to win only one of its remaining SEC games against Ole Miss and Arkansas to claim the division.

Having less on the line can often mean an advantage in this game.

"Going into last year, it was a win-win for us," Georgia tight end Tripp Chandler said. "If we lost, we were supposed to lose, and if we won, then great job by us. I don't know who's looser this year because it's a big game for both of us."

Not considering the ramifications is the key, Tuberville said.

"The big thing about rivalries is you can't worry about anything that's on the line," Tuberville said. "You think too much about records or conference championships or getting to Atlanta, you start thinking about all of that and it jumps up and bites you."

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HEARTBREAK HOE-DOWN

The team with the most to lose often does in the Georgia-Auburn series. Such as ...

Year Matchup Winner, score

2006 Unranked Georgia at No. 5 Auburn Dogs, 37-15

2005 No. 15 Auburn at No. 9 Georgia Tigers, 31-30

1999 Unranked Auburn at No. 14 Georgia Tigers, 38-21

1997 No. 17 Auburn at No. 7 Georgia Tigers, 45-34

1996 Unranked Georgia at No. 20 Auburn Dogs, 56-49 (4 OT)

1994 Unranked Georgia at No. 3 Auburn Tie, 23-23

1986 Unranked Georgia at No. 8 Auburn Dogs, 20-16

1978 Unranked Auburn vs. No. 8 Georgia Tie, 22-22

1970 Unranked Georgia at No. 8 Auburn Dogs, 31-17

1942 Unranked Auburn vs. No. 1 Georgia* Tigers, 27-13

* in Columbus