Auburn loss at Georgia gives Alabama the SEC West title

The Iron Bowl won’t be the de facto championship game for the SEC West in 2016 because of No. 9 Auburn’s offensive ineptitude at Georgia on Saturday.

The Tigers couldn’t get a first down the entire second half as Georgia scored 13 points in the final two quarters for a 13-7 win. The victory means Alabama clinches the SEC West championship. Had Auburn held on to its 7-0 halftime lead, the Nov. 26 matchup between the two in-state rivals would have decided the division title.

Georgia’s only touchdown came courtesy of the defense. And in an Alabama twist, it was by defensive back Maurice Smith, who scored a touchdown after intercepting Auburn quarterback Sean White.

Smith’s name should sound familiar if you followed college football this summer. After a lot of wrangling, the former Alabama defensive back was finally released from the school and given permission to transfer to Georgia as a graduate transfer and play immediately. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was Smith’s defensive coordinator at Alabama.

You have to wonder how Alabama coach Nick Saban felt when he realized Smith would play a significant role in his team’s third-straight West division crown.

Here’s what Auburn’s second-half drive chart looked like. It was putrid. The first half was bad, but the second-half was even worse.

Georgia is now bowl-eligible after beating Auburn. (Getty)

The Tigers’ defense played admirably, but it’s hard to offer much resistance late in the game when your offense has been on the field for just a third of the half. The offensive struggles were reminiscent of Auburn’s Week 1 loss to Clemson. Just minus the rotating quarterbacks.

White finished 6-20 passing for 27 yards and that interception. After Georgia kicked a field goal with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter to go up 13-7, Auburn had one last chance to get a game-winning touchdown. The drive ended on a three-and-out after, fittingly, two White incomplete passes.

The loss also means Auburn could lose out on second-place in the SEC West. The Tigers lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Texas A&M if the teams end up tied in the division.

It wasn’t pretty for Georgia either, but the win gives Smart a signature victory in his first season sa the team’s coach. And it guarantees the Bulldogs will be heading to a bowl game. Running back Nick Chubb had 23 carries for 101 yards.