Alabama football's Top 5 Iron Bowl wins over Auburn

It's Iron Bowl week, which means little else matters in the state of Alabama right now. Alabama football fans are still bemoaning the porous road performance against Oklahoma, but the Iron Bowl matters a lot, no matter what is actually on the line.

And this year, there's very little aside from bragging rights. Auburn is looking to garner bowl eligibility, but even a 6-6 season is far below expectations fans on the Plains had heading into 2024. Although, beating ranked Texas A&M and Alabama in back-to-back weeks would finally provide some momentum for Hugh Freeze.

For Alabama, while there's a slim chance of making the College Football Playoff, a win would be the fifth consecutive in the series for the Crimson Tide. Making Auburn fear the thumb would be a sweet irony for millennial Alabama fans. It would also mark the longest Iron Bowl winning streak for Alabama since Coach Bryant was roaming the sidelines.

This will be the 89th meeting between Alabama and Auburn on the gridiron. Not only is Alabama on a four-game winning streak in the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide hasn't lost to Auburn in Tuscaloosa since 2010.

There's been quite a few memorable moments for Alabama over the course of the series history. Let's examine what I view as the Top 5 wins for Alabama over Auburn.

Top 5 Alabama wins in the Iron Bowl

5. 2023: Alabama 27, Auburn 24 - Auburn, AL

Typically, when fluky bounces occur in the Iron Bowl, particularly at Jordan-Hare Stadium, those bounces have seemingly always favored the Tigers.

But the last two Iron Bowls played at Auburn, the script has been flipped. Three years ago, Alabama won a thrilling 4-OT game over Auburn, 24-22. Alabama found itself trailing 10-3 with under two minutes to play before Bryce Young engineered a game-tying touchdown drive that went the length of the field.

Last year, Alabama found itself trailing 24-20 against Auburn and its College Football Playoff hopes were hanging by a thread. Alabama was forced to punt with 4:48 to play. The Auburn returner muffed the punt and Alabama took over at the Auburn 30-yard line.

Following a couple of first downs, disaster struck for Alabama. On 2nd-and-goal from the eight-yard line, a botched snap sent the ball flying backward. Jalen Milroe tracked it down and fell on it at the 26 for an 18-yard loss.

An illegal forward pass on 3rd and goal from the 26 set Alabama up in an impossible do-or-die situation. It was 4th and goal from the 31. What happened next is maybe the most miraculous moment in Iron Bowl history for Alabama:

4. 2009: Alabama 26, Auburn 21 - Auburn, AL

The 2008 Iron Bowl was a cathartic experience. Following a six-game losing streak, Alabama pounded Auburn 36-0 in Tuscaloosa to snap the streak and announce to the world that this was Alabama's state once again.

Fast forward a year later, and Alabama was undefeated going into the Iron Bowl for the second straight year. This one would prove to be a dogfight.

Alabama had to rally from a 14-0 deficit. The Crimson Tide tied the game 14-14 on a touchdown pass from Greg McElroy to Collin Peak. Auburn took the lead back at 21-14. Alabama added a pair of field goals but found itself trailing 21-20 with eight minutes to play.

Alabama engineered a championship drive from there, going 79 yards on 15 plays. On third and three from the four-yard line, McElroy hit Roy Upchurch on a play-action pass to put the Crimson Tide ahead 26-21.

Alabama survived a hail mary from there to hang on. Alabama would go on to blow out Florida in the SEC Championship Game and then beat Texas in the BCS Championship Game to win the first title of the Nick Saban era.

3. 1967: Alabama 7, Auburn 3 - Birmingham, AL

The 1967 Iron Bowl is remembered for one thing: Kenny Stabler's run in the mud.

The game was played under a torrential downpour at Birmingham's Legion Field. Alabama entered the game at 7-1-1 and ranked 8th in the country, but wasn't quite as good as it had been through national championship-winning seasons in 1964 and 1965 and then an undefeated season in 1966.

Auburn came into the game at 6-3 and confident that it could knock off the Crimson Tide and snap a three-game Iron Bowl losing streak.

As was to be expected in this era, and with the sloppy conditions, this was a defensive struggle.

Trailing 3-0 early in the fourth quarter, Stabler came up with one of the most famous plays in the history of the series. He took off on an option to the right side and sprinted 53 yards to the endzone for the game's only touchdown, giving Alabama a 7-3 win.

2. 1971: Alabama 31, Auburn 7 - Birmingham, AL

The only Iron Bowl that featured both teams being unbeaten and untied. Alabama came in at 10-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. Auburn came in 9-0 and ranked No. 5.

To add to the allure of this Iron Bowl, Auburn QB Pat Sullivan had been awarded the Heisman Trophy the week before. Many around the Alabama program felt the Crimson Tide actually had the country's most outstanding player in RB Johnny Musso. Musso, running behind one of the best guards in the history of the sport in John Hannah, was nearly unstoppable.

Alabama led only 14-7 going into the fourth quarter, but the Crimson Tide put the Tigers away in the fourth quarter with a 17-0 run to finish off a 31-7 win. Heisman winner Sullivan threw two interceptions. Musso, who was nursing turf toe, ran for 167 yards on 33 carries.

1. 1985: Alabama 25, Auburn 23 - Birmingham, AL

You know a moment is memorable when it is immortalized by a single phrase. Like "4th and 31" or Run in the Mud." 1985's Iron Bowl is remembered simply as "The Kick."

Alabama came into the game at 7-2-1 and underdogs against No. 7 Auburn that was coming off a big win over Georgia in Athens the week before.

While Van Tiffin's 52-yard field goal to win the game is the most memorable part of the game, QB Mike Shula engineering a drive to get the Crimson Tide in field goal range with just 57 seconds left made it possible.

Right before the kick, WR Greg Richardson stretched, fought, and clawed his way out of bounds to preserve six seconds on the clock to make the kick possible.

This was Alabama's last Iron Bowl in the 1980s - they wouldn't win again until Gene Stallings led the Crimson Tide to a win over Auburn in 1990 in his first crack at the Tigers. To this day, Shula's drive and Tiffin's kick remain one of the biggest moments in the history of the rivalry.