There's been a consistent worry emanating from the Alabama fanbase in the aftermath of the Crimson Tide's two-point home loss to Oklahoma last weekend. The loss dropped Alabama to 8-2 on the season and removed the last bit of margin for error the team had left.
That means, in two weeks, when Alabama travels to Auburn for the Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide's playoff hopes will be on the line.
That simple fact has produced a ton of anxiety among Alabama fans. The Jordan-Hare house of horrors has produced scars that have yet to heal. Even the wins in the last two trips came down to the wire against equally overmatched Auburn teams. It took a four-OT marathon in 2021 and a 4th-and-31 miracle in 2023 for Alabama to prevail.
The Iron Bowl, especially on the Plains, always produces anxiety for Alabama fans. Jordan-Hare voodoo is real. But the 2025 season isn't anything special; this is the same task that stood in front of even the best Alabama teams of the last two decades. The season is always on the line in the Iron Bowl.
Only in 2017 did the Iron Bowl result not end up mattering. Alabama had the opportunity to render the game moot for its playoff hopes by beating Oklahoma last week. It didn't. So now it faces the same challenge every other Alabama team has: win the Iron Bowl, or watch your season get flushed down the drain.
Nobody understands that better than Greg McElroy, the current ESPN analyst and former Alabama QB. He led an undefeated Tide team into Auburn in 2009 with the season on the line. McElroy and the Crimson Tide overcame an early 14-0 deficit to beat the Tigers 26-21 thanks to a game-winning drive that McElroy capped with a touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch.
McElroy delivered a message on Monday that Alabama fans filled with anxiety over the Iron Bowl should listen to:
“So the good news is, clap it off, McElroy said on Mac and Cube on Monday, via Sidelines Bama. "You still control your own destiny to get to Atlanta for the SEC title. You control your own destiny to get to the CFP. And you just gotta go and do it now. Simple as that.
"For everybody that’s bemoaning about ‘oh, we gotta go to Auburn, that’s gonna be tough!’ Guess what? In the BCS era we had to go to Auburn, too. In the 4-team era, we had to go to Auburn, too. It was a must-win game in many different occasions. If you wanna go chase championships, you gotta go get it.”
Greg McElroy says Alabama has to 'go get it' against Auburn
Normally, we would encourage focusing on the opponent ahead of you, but Eastern Illinois might be the worst opponent on an Alabama schedule in several decades. This weekend's game will not be competitive, and it will be a glorified scrimmage for the Crimson Tide.
It will all come down to the Iron Bowl for Alabama. Same as it ever was.
If Alabama wants to make the College Football Playoff, it will need to beat an under .500 Auburn team on the road. If the Crimson Tide can't do that, then it doesn't deserve to be in the playoff. Simple as that.
This team has proven it can go on the road and get wins in tough environments like Athens and both Columbias. This team has proven it can respond to adversity and bounce back from defeat. They'll have to do it once more to not let the season go to waste.