Saturday night brought us the latest in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Georgia and Auburn faced off in a high-stakes game for the 130th time in their history. The markets, however, favored the Tigers to pull off an upset, as they desperately needed a win to avoid losing three games in a row. However, reality turned out to be quite the opposite as the final score sheet reflected a 10-point gap, and Charles Barkley now needs to pay the price…

Before the game, Inside the NBA‘s Ernie Johnson Jr. set the stage for a wager against the Chuckster, saying, “If Georgia wins, then you make a donation to Destination Dawgs. And if Auburn wins, I make a donation to the Auburn Eagles program. They’re both great programs that give kids with disabilities a chance to have the college experience. Deal? Good. Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

For the uninitiated, Destination Dawgs is an academic program run by the University of Georgia that serves students with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 18 and 25. Likewise, Auburn Eagles is a similar setup that offers students a post-secondary education, helping them achieve their life goals.

Charles Barkley, never afraid to pull out his wallet for a good bet, fired back immediately. Humorously, he said, “Well, Ernie Johnson, Charles Wade Barkley here. I accept your challenge… I’ll take your bet on the game, our usual. And ugly dogs, whatever y’all call y’all women down there, I’ll accept a bet for that charity and my Auburn program. You have a bet, sir, and I hope you make it out of the wilderness and war, damn eagle!”

Perhaps he thought Auburn would snap its losing streak against its most hated rivals. However, things didn’t quite go as planned. The spread was set for three-and-a-half points, and both men were heavily invested in the outcome. The first half offered glimpses of a suspenseful back-and-forth, which culminated in a goal-line play.

With Auburn holding a 10-0 lead, Tigers QB Jackson Arnold was called for a fumble in a heavily scrutinized call, before the ruling was upheld in a six-minute-long review. It shifted the momentum in the Bulldogs’ favor, and they put up a field goal right at the end of the first half.

The second half was all Georgia, with Bulldogs QB Gunner Stockton dominating the third quarter in scoring, as the team put up a touchdown and a field goal before adding another TD in the fourth, completely turning the lead over. It was their 9th straight win in head-to-head games.

Auburn’s ‘turn of fortune’ was nothing compared to Charles Barkley’s earlier gambling loss

Auburn looked poised to win Charles Barkley his bet by extending their lead to 17-0 against No. 10-ranked Georgia late in the second, but one call turned the game on its head. With less than two minutes left in the quarter, Auburn’s Arnold was inches away from the end zone. The Tigers lined up a tush-push formation, with the running backs ready to shove Arnold into getting a touchdown, making any chance of a comeback nearly impossible.

However, everything went wrong at a snap. And after an excruciatingly long review, the decision was ruled “upheld” instead of “stood,” implying that there was no definite confirmation. Georgia turned the fumble into an 88-yard drive capped off by a field goal for their first points of the contest. Auburn HC Hugh Freeze admitted being confused over the ruling, saying, “I have no clue how that didn’t break the plane… we’re due a break, maybe, one of these times.”

The Bulldogs outgained Auburn by an astounding 276-49 after the fumble, leaving fans to debate one of the most contentious plays of the season so far. “There’s a lot of times I make bad calls, and I’m sure officials do the same,” Freeze said postgame. “But it certainly feels like we’re not getting any breaks.”

Charles Barley, a self-proclaimed gambling lover, does not hesitate before making a bet. And he once had no qualms in admitting, “There’s probably been 25 times I’ve lost a million.” To an extent, the losing money part does hold because the NBA legend once blew a $100,000 bet!

“I was drunk at halftime, I was doing shots. I was up 28-3. I was feeling it,” the Chuckster once said about Super Bowl LI. Well, the Falcons infamously ended up blowing their lead, and the Patriots snatched the Super Bowl 34-28 in OT!

But has that stopped Charles Barkley from consistently making a fresh set of bets ever since? Definitely not.