WHERE: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.

WHEN: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

RECORDS: Georgia 5-0, 3-0; Auburn 4-1, 1-0)

TV/RADIO: CBS (Noah Eagle, Aaron Murray, Rick Neuheisel, Jenny Dell); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, D.J. Shockley); Sirius/XM/Internet 133/191/962

Georgia - QB Stetson Bennett, RB Zamir White, RB Kendall Milton, RB James Cook, RB Kenny McIntosh, TE Brock Bowers, TE Darnell Washington, LT Jamaree Salyer, C Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger, NG Jordan Davis, DT Devonte Wyatt, DT Jalen Carter, DE Travon Walker, LB Nakobe Dean, LB Adam Anderson, S Lewis Cine.

Auburn - QB Bo Nix, RB Tank Bigsby, RB Shaun Shivers, RB Jarquez Hunter, WR Shedrick Jackson, TE John Samuel Shenker, LT Austin Troxell, DE Colby Wooden, MLB Owen Pappoe, WLB Zakoby McClain, Star Chandler Wooten, S Smoke Monday, CB Roger McCreary.

Georgia will attempt to change another narrative when the No. 2 Bulldogs travel to No. 18 Auburn Saturday afternoon.

Leading up to last week’s game against Arkansas, the prevailing thought by detractors was that Georgia had yet to play “a real team.” The theory among pundits was that the No. 8 Razorbacks would be that first test for UGa. Final score: Georgia 37, Arkansas.

This week, the storyline for some is as follows: Georgia has not faced a “true” challenge on the road, and thus Auburn, with its packed house and blood-curdling, screaming fans, might be too much for these Bulldogs to handle.

After all, it’s Georgia’s first time playing in an opponent’s packed house since pre-Covid in 2019. Whatever are the Bulldogs to do?

Pardon my sarcasm.

Never say never in college football. Although the Bulldogs at last check are 15.5-point favorites, it wouldn’t be the biggest upset in the sport’s long history if No. 18 Auburn to pull a surprise.

Could it happen?

Well, first Auburn would have to accomplish what no team has been able to do against Georgia in establishing a running game against the Bulldog front seven.

Opponents are averaging just 70.6 yards and 2.4 yards per rush. Auburn, meanwhile, is averaging 238 yards per contest. The Tigers trio of Tank Bigsby, Shaun Shivers and Jarquez Hunter probably present the Bulldogs with their biggest running back challenge to date.

But can they have any consistency against the Bulldogs? That’s going to be the key to this one.

A lot of Georgia fans will pooh-pooh the threat of Tiger quarterback Bo Nix, who has certainly been inconsistent over the course of his career.

At the same time, if the Tigers are able to establish a run, he’s capable of giving the Bulldogs a few problems.

If not, Nix and Auburn are going to be in for a long afternoon. If the Bulldogs are able to stuff the run, pin their ears back and put the pressure on Nix, that’s going to cause him some worry.

On the flip side, Auburn’s defense is allowing 16.2 points per game and just 86 yards on the ground. Opponents are averaging 213 through the air.

However, could those numbers be skewered? For as much as people like to bang the Bulldogs for their “soft” early-season schedule, three of Auburn’s four victories have been against the likes of Akron, Alabama State and Georgia State. It took a late touchdown pass from the backup quarterback to pull out a win against the Panthers.

Granted, the Tigers received a huge emotional boost by winning at LSU for the first time in 22 years. Jordan-Hare will be packed, the crowd will start out wild, and the Tigers will hope that passion carries them to an upset win.

However, the only people who are ultimately going to matter are the 11 players on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Georgia has a mature team. Several little birdies have told me players are “anxious” to use this game as another “proving” point.

No turnovers: Yes, this is Captain Obvious speaking, but that's especially true on the road. Turnovers get the crowd in the game and the Bulldogs don't want to do that.

Take what the Tigers give defensively: That's exactly what Georgia did against Arkansas. When the Razorbacks showed a three-man front, the Bulldogs ran early, often and over Arkansas. They only had to attempt 11 passes. Auburn is not expected to follow that particular defensive path. While some may think that forcing Georgia to throw might be the way to go, Bennett has shown he can push the ball down the field if need be.

Hitch up the tight ends: Kirby Smart will tell you Todd Monken always makes good use of his tight ends. That's very true. That doesn't always mean they have to catch the ball. Against Auburn, that opportunity should be there. Both Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington could be in for big days.

Stop the run, or at least slow it down: It's pretty simple, if Auburn can't find consistency running the football, its chances of winning go down exponentially. Put the pressure on Bo Nix to try and beat the Bulldogs through the air.

Force Nix to his left: The Bulldogs need to take a page from NASCAR and as much as possible, force Nix to his left. Nix can scramble alright, he can extend plays and as we saw last week, can make things happen when he does. However, when moving left, that throwing accuracy takes a hit.

Be wary of running back Shaun Shivers: Shivers is only 5-foot-7, but he does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield. He's lighting fast, slippery and despite his small stature, can be difficult to corral. No doubt Nix will look to get the ball to Shivers in space. He can cause problems unless the Bulldogs are focused on bringing him down.

QB JT Daniels (lat): After not practicing Monday, Daniels did some soft toss Tuesday, took part in regular workouts Wednesday and was expected to do so again Thursday. Per sources, Daniels completed Wednesday's session without any pain. Stetson Bennett continues to work with the first-team offense, but it does appear, Daniels is beginning to take some positive steps forward.

DB Tykee Smith (foot): Smith dressed but did not play last week against Arkansas. This week, however, he's upgraded to probably and should see his first action of the year.

WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (ankle): Smart told the press Monday that of Georgia's injured receivers, Rosemy-Jacksaint is the closest to being ready. Does that mean this week? That's probably questionable at best right now. We'll just have to see.

WR Dominick Blaylock (hamstring): Blaylock continues to work back from a hamstring issue he suffered as a result of ramping up his activities following his second ACL surgery. He's doubtful for Saturday.

WR Arian Smith (knee contusion): Smith remains a bit a of a mystery. The fact Smart considers Rosemy-Jacksaint "most ready" that probably does not bode well for Smith. We'll call him doubtfull as well.

WR George Pickens: (knee): Pickens continues to run routes during practice but still has not been cleared and there is no timetable for his return.

DL Rian Davis (quad): Davis recently had quad surgery and is out for the year.

OL Tate Ratledge (Lisfranc); Ratledge is out for the year.

DB Jalen Kimber (shoulder): Underwent shoulder surgery and is out for the year.

LB Trezman Marshall (undisclosed injury); Marshall is doubtful after suffering an undisclosed injury. We'll get more from Smart later.

It's natural for Georgia fans to have nightmares of going to Auburn with a highly-ranked team. After all, 2017 was not that long ago.

Auburn has to be respected, there's no question about that. The Bulldogs can't simply throw their hats on the field and expect to breeze to victory.

I do not expect that they will. As I've mentioned numerous times, there's a certain maturity about this group, plus this defense still feels it has something to prove and are anxious to show out in front of the partisan Auburn crowd. They will: Prediction: Georgia 27, Auburn 10.