Alabama and Kalen DeBoer now facing worst-case scenario for Iron Bowl

There are some rules in the world of Alabama football that are non-negotiable. The list starts with:

Rule #1: Beat Auburn
Rule #2: When unsure of all else, remember Rule #1. 

Kalen DeBoer has already got one Iron Bowl victory under his belt, a 28-14 win over the Tigers last year in Tuscaloosa. It was almost enough to get Alabama into the college football playoff bracket, but when the numbers were crunched, the Crimson Tide fell a little short.

​This year's Iron Bowl has an even lower margin of error.

Enjoy the calm before the storm

The Iron Bowl is two weeks away, which gives Alabama plenty of time to dust itself off from a disappointing loss to Oklahoma that took the Tide away from being a lock for the playoffs and into the pool of two-loss teams. Alabama should still be considered a favorite to get an at large slot, but the pressure has changed.

Next Saturday will be a breeze for the Crimson Tide on Senior Day. Alabama will beat the tar out of Eastern Illinois in front of a sold-out crowd at Bryant-Denny Stadium and then hand the Panthers a nice check for their troubles. It should be a great day with beautiful weather and a chance to send the senior class off with a blowout win. 

And then the nail-biting begins

This is a tough Auburn team to figure out. We really don't know what they have to offer because Hugh Freeze could never get the best out of the Tigers. What we do is that Auburn is playing with house money. The Tigers have a chance to knock off their blood rival and ruin their season.

DeBoer is always going to have his detractors. He's following the greatest coach to ever do it in the modern era. But games like the one Alabama faces in two weeks are the true must-win games. Those are the ones that you're hired to win. When the reward for beating Auburn in Jordan-Hare stadium is getting to the playoffs, there is no greater immediate opportunity for DeBoer to prove he's the guy.