It's Iron Bowl week. Alabama heads to Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend to face Auburn with a whole lot on the line.
Contrary to a popular recent narrative, there's nothing different about this year's Iron Bowl than we've seen the last eight times the Crimson Tide traveled to the Plains. The season is almost always on the line for Alabama when these two teams meet, and Auburn is almost always trying to play the role of spoiler.
The last time Alabama played Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium when it wasn't still in the National Championship race was in Nick Saban's first season in 2007. This year is no different, and there shouldn't be any further game anxiety for this Alabama team than what it would experience in any other big game.
Yes, Alabama needs to beat Auburn on Saturday night to qualify for the SEC Championship Game and to have an opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff. But Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide has been in must-win mode for the majority of the season since suffering a season-opening defeat to Florida State in Tallahassee.
The Iron Bowl would carry significant importance regardless. The Alabama coaching staff and locker room know that.
How to watch No. 10 Alabama at Auburn in Week 14
- Date: Saturday, November 29th
- Time: 6:30 pm C.T.
- Venue: Jordan-Hare Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): ABC
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Alabama record: 9-2
- Auburn record: 5-6
What are the betting odds for Alabama vs. Auburn?
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread: Alabama -5.5
Over/Under: 47.5
Moneyline: Alabama -225/Auburn +184
Injury reports for Alabama and Auburn
Alabama:
- LB Jah-Marien Latham: OUT
- DL Jeremiah Beaman: OUT
- DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.: OUT (Indefinitely suspended)
- TE Danny Lewis Jr.: Questionable
- TE Josh Cuevas: Questionable*
Auburn:
TBD based on the SEC's weekly availability report, which will be released on Wednesday
Who are the announcers for Alabama vs. Auburn?
The Iron Bowl will get ESPN/ABC's "A" Team. Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will be on the call on Saturday night in Jordan-Hare. This is the second game the trio has called of Alabama's this season. They were previously on the call for Alabama's road win over Georgia at the end of September.
What will the weather be like for Alabama football on Saturday?
According to James Spann, the weather for the Iron Bowl will be cold and dry. Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s throughout the evening in Auburn. That will be an adjustment for both teams, as it has been an unseasonably warm fall in most of the southeast.
Alabama vs. Auburn series history
Alabama leads the all-time series 51-37-1. That includes five straight wins, which is the longest winning streak for the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl since Coach Bryant led Alabama to nine straight wins over Auburn from 1973-1981.
Auburn's last Iron Bowl win came in 2019. Alabama has won the last two meetings in Jordan-Hare Stadium, though they both came down to the wire. The Crimson Tide needed a 97-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter and then four overtimes to overcome the Tigers in 2021. In 2023, Jalen Milroe completed a miraculous touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal from the 31-yard line to rip victory from the jaws of defeat.