It's the Deep South's oldest rivalry.

The Auburn vs. Georgia game is one of the oldest rivalries in the nation, and the tradition continues for yet another year.

The Auburn-Georgia series is tied with Oregon-Oregon State and Baylor-TCU as the seventh-most played series in the nation. It is the only Southern series and one of just 11 in the nation to have reached the century mark in games played.

The Tigers first took on the Bulldogs in 1892 and, with a series of 103 games, is older than the rivalries of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, a series of 102 games, and Auburn vs. Alabama, a series of 64 games.

World war has been the only thing strong enough to keep Auburn and Georgia from their yearly football battle. The teams did not play in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I.

The teams also didn't meet in 1943 because Auburn could not field a team because of World War II. With those exceptions, Auburn and Georgia have played every year since 1898.

Whoever said the home team has the advantage obviously was not from Auburn or Athens, Ga.

Auburn owns a winning record ³between the hedges² of 16-8, while Georgia has a winning mark on the Plains 11-7-2. The Tigers have won eight of their last nine games in Sanford Stadium, including last year's 38-21 victory.

The teams have also played in five neutral sites in Georgia. No matter where the game is played, the Tigers still lead the series 49-46-8.

This is another one of those games each year where it is hard to choose which team will win. Many of the games between these foes were decided by seven points or less. Of those, Georgia leads 20-16-8.

The 100th game between the teams occurred in 1996. Not only did the game mark the centennial meeting between Auburn and Georgia, but it also made history as the first SEC game ever to go into overtime. Georgia won 56-49 in the fourth overtime.

This year's seniors know what it is like to beat Georgia in Athens, but they are still waiting to see what it is like to win at home. In 1997, Auburn won 45-34, and in 1999, Auburn won 38-21. The last time the Tigers beat Georgia in their own stadium was in 1990.

Heated rivalries paved the way for great performances on the field. Auburn quarterback Ben Leard knows this all too well, passing 416 yards in the 1999 Auburn-Georgia game, the most passing yards by an Auburn player in the series' history.

Also in 1999, Leard had three passing touchdowns. The only person to throw more for Auburn in the series was Pat Sullivan in 1971 with four.