It’s not an age-old rivalry. It’s not an annual tradition. It’s South Carolina versus Auburn.
While these two teams don’t face off often, there’s still a bitter taste left in Auburn’s mouth after last season, when the Gamecocks delivered a 30-22 upset over No. 15 Auburn at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.
Williams-Brice Stadium is where they will face off again this year. It will be the first time South Carolina will host Auburn in back-to-back years in the series history.
Auburn leads the all-time series 10-2-1.
The first game between the two was in neither team’s home state, back in 1930 in Columbus, Georgia. Auburn won the contest 25-7. In the three years following, from 1931-33, the two teams faced off three times. All three games occurring in Alabama.
South Carolina finally found the win column against Auburn in 1933, the last time the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers until 2020. Granted, the two teams went on a hiatus of playing each other for 63 years until 1996.
Since 1996, Auburn and South Carolina have played nine times, most of which were home-and-home series.
However, three of those games occurred within 371 days. It happened in 2010 and 2011, where the teams had a scheduled home-and-home series. But the Tigers and Gamecocks also met in the 2010 SEC Championship game, which Auburn won 56-17.
It’s one of the few games that haven’t been close lately. Out of the last nine games, six of them have been within one possession.
This includes last year’s version, where several Auburn miscues led to a South Carolina win. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix tied his career-high with three interceptions. All three of the ensuing South Carolina possessions resulted in touchdowns.
Nix won’t be taking snaps for Auburn this weekend due to his ankle injury, though. Rather, it will be the sophomore transfer, T.J. Finley.
Auburn and South Carolina will kick off at 6 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on ESPN.
