Football 🏈 What's on the line for Alabama, Auburn in this week's Iron Bowl

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What's on the line for Alabama, Auburn in this week's Iron Bowl

Here's a look at what's at stake for both Alabama and Auburn in this weekend's Iron Bowl.

alabama.rivals.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s been 323 days since Alabama named Kalen DeBoer as its head football coach. He’s heard about the importance of the Iron Bowl in nearly every one of them.

“This game, what it means to those that come from each side, what it means to the state to talk about, not just told to me, but talked about amongst everyone in their homes,” DeBoer said early this week. “It’s Thanksgiving weekend so if you’re not at the game you’re watching it with your friends and your family. I’ve heard stories of families being divided because of it, many different ways. That’s what rivalry games are all about and this is a rivalry that’s on another level.”

DeBoer will get his first taste of the Iron Bowl this weekend when No. 13 Alabama (8-3, 4-3 in the SEC) hosts Auburn (5-6, 2-5) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide has won the last four Iron Bowls and is an 11.5-point favorite heading into this weekend’s matchup.

DeBoer doesn’t need any more reminders about the magnitude of this weekend. However, he’s not the only one with plenty at stake.

Here’s what’s on the line for both sides of the rivalry.

DeBoer’s Iron Bowl first impression​

You only have one opportunity to make a first impression. When it comes to playing Auburn, most Alabama coaches have stumbled in their introduction to the rivalry.

Nick Saban suffered a 17-10 defeat to the Tigers during his debut season at Alabama in 2007. Paul “Bear” Bryant also dropped his first Iron Bowl as a head coach, falling,14-8, to Auburn in 1958.

In total, first-year Alabama coaches are 5-11 in the Iron Bowl.

E.B. Bemount — 32-22 L (1893)
Eli Abbot — 40-16 L (1893)
Malcolm Griffin — 53-5 L (1900)
M.S. Harvey — 17-0 L (1901)
W.A. Blount — 18-6 W (1903)
Jack Leavenworth — 30-0 W (1905)
J.W.H Pollard — 10-0 W (1906)
Jennings B Whitworth — 26-0 L (1955)Paul Bear Bryant — 14-8 L (1958)Ray Perkins — 23-20 L (1983)Bil Curry — 10-0 L (1987)Gene Stallings — 16-7 W (1990)Mike Dubose — 18-17 L (1997)Dennis Franchione — 31-7 W (2001)Mike Shula — 28-23 L (2003)Nick Saban — 17-10 L (2007)

While DeBoer suffered a 24-17 defeat to Tennessee in his debut in the Third Saturday in October earlier this season, he’s typically fared well in rivalry games. During his two seasons at Washington, he went 2-0 against Washington State and 3-0 against Oregon. He also led Fresno State to victories over rivals San Jose State and San Diego State during the 2021 season.

Freeze’s trajectory and Auburn’s bowl eligibility​

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze would have secured a win in his Iron Bowl debut last year had it not been for Jalen Milroe’s heroics on fourth-and-31. While Alabama’s 27-24 victory over Auburn last season is sure to haunt Freeze for years to come, an upset over the Tide this weekend would go a long way toward making up for it.

“There’s no bigger game on the schedule,” Freeze told reporters Monday. “To sit in this seat and lose one like we did last year, it still doesn’t sit right. And I know that the Auburn faithful have had to endure that, and we want to change that feeling in this building, for our fanbase and this state. That’s a tall task.”

It’s been a forgettable Year 2 for Freeze on the Plains. However, following a four-overtime upset over Texas A&M last week, Auburn’s season isn’t totally lost. The Tigers can reach bowl eligibility with a win over Alabama this week while also snapping the Tide’s longest winning streak in the rivalry since Bryant’s nine-year run from 1973-81.

Along with extending Auburn’s season, an upset would help cool down a potential hot seat for Freeze. The second-year head coach is just 11-13 with the Tigers, a record not much better than Bryan Harsin’s 9-12 mark during his recent two-year stint.

Beating Alabama this week would arguably be one of the best wins of Freeze’s career. With Saban now off the sidelines, it could also help him capture some much-needed momentum in the rivalry.

Milroe’s draft stock​

There were calls for Milroe to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL draft after his standout performance against Georgia in Week 5. That seems like a fever dream following his struggles over the past few weeks.

Since passing for a career-high 374 yards against Georgia, Milroe has struggled to move the ball through the air over his last six SEC games. During that span, he’s completed just 60.5% of his passes for 1,246 yards and three touchdowns with eight interceptions. That includes a dismal performance last week at Oklahoma where he completed 11 of 26 passes (42.3%) for 164 yards and three interceptions in a 24-3 loss to the Sooners.

“It’s just simple things that we have to execute as an offense as a group,” Milroe said Tuesday when asked about his performance against Oklahoma. “You can’t point out one person. It’s all about collectively as a group being our best us and executing the simple things.”

While Milroe’s recent struggles have seen him fall out of the first round of several mock drafts, the redshirt junior still has time to repair his stock in what is viewed as a weak quarterback class.

That begins this week as he goes up against an Auburn defense that allowed dual-threat Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed to complete 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns with an interception while adding 66 yards on the ground last week.

Milroe had a big day in last year’s Iron Bowl, completing 16 of 24 passes for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding 107 yards with his feet. A performance like that could put him back on the first-round radar moving forward.

Playoffs… playoffs?​

It might feel like a long shot, but Alabama’s playoff hopes aren’t completely dashed. According to ESPN’s playoff predictor, Alabama has a 30% chance of making this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff.

As Tide Illustrated pointed out earlier this week, Alabama will need a few outcomes to fall its way if it wants to get into the playoff picture. However, there’s still reason for Tide fans to hold out hope. Here’s a brief guide on who Alabama should pull for this weekend.

No. 3 Texas (-5.5) at No. 20 Texas A&M
Time: 6:30 p.m. on ABC
Who to root for: Texas. Alabama is unlikely to pass Texas regardless of the outcome, so it’s better for the Longhorns to eliminate Texas A&M’s chances of stealing a playoff spot as the SEC champion.

No. 5 Notre Dame (-7.5) at Southern California
Time: 2:30 p.m. on CBS
Who to root for: Southern California. Alabama might be able to pass a two-loss Notre Dame team considering the Irish wouldn’t have a signature win and would have bad losses to Northern Illinois and USC.

No. 6 Miami (-11) at Syracuse
Time: 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Who to root for: Syracuse. Miami is in the same position as Notre Dame where it might fall behind Alabama if it picks up its second loss to an unranked team. The Hurricanes have played with their food several times this season and suffered a loss at Georgia Tech during their last road trip earlier this month.

No. 8 Tennessee (-11) at Vanderbilt
Time: 11 a.m. on ABC
Who to root for: Vanderbilt. After handing Alabama its first loss of the season, Vanderbilt could play hero for the Tide by upsetting Tennessee this weekend. A Tennesee loss and an Alabama win would give the Tide and Volunteers an identical 9-3 record. While Tennessee won the head-to-head matchup earlier this season, the committee ranked Alabama ahead of the Volunteers when the two programs both had two losses.

California (+13.5) at No. 9 SMU
Time: 2:30 on ESPN2
Who to root for: California. Alabama won't feel great about the Bear's chances of pulling the upset, but California did knock off Auburn on the road earlier this season. Even with a loss, SMU will play in the ACC Championship Game. Alabama would need the Mustangs to lose again to prevent them from stealing a playoff spot.

No. 15 South Carolina (+3) at No. 12 Clemson
Time: 11 a.m. on ESPN
Who to root for: South Carolina. It’s possible South Carolina could jump Alabama with a win at Clemson. However, a Gamecocks victory is the better of two evils for Alabama in this matchup. Along with giving Clemson its third loss, a South Carolina win would strengthen the Tide’s resume.

 

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