HUNTSVILLE — For the first time in recent memory, neither Auburn nor Alabama is headed for the SEC Championship game and a chance at a national championship.
So, what’s on the line for Saturday’s annual Iron Bowl?
Just 365 days worth of bragging rights. That’s all.
And, in this state, that’s what it’s usually all about.
“The fans really don’t like each other one bit,” Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said. “I learned in this state that, growing up, that’s how you choose your friends. You ask, ‘Are you Alabama or are you Auburn?’”
Thorne transferred to The Plains from Michigan State, which has its own bitter in-state rivalry. Yet, Thorne admits the Iron Bowl is “the biggest rivalry game in college football.”
This will be the first clash as the Tide head coach for Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. He’s guided 13th-ranked Bama to an 8-3 overall record (4-3 in the SEC) and knows what’s at stake for his team which has had a rocky year, according to Alabama standards.
“Ever since I’ve been here, I think I hear about it every day,” DeBoer said. “So I understand what it means.”
But Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is hoping his Tigers initiate DeBoer into Iron Bowl infamy, especially after last year’s last-minute loss to Bama on the now legendary “fourth and 31.”
And, as an added incentive, a win would make Auburn (5-6, 2-5) bowl eligible.
“There’s no bigger game on the schedule,” said Freeze. “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 fan base and this state.”
Kickoff at Bryant Denny Stadium is 2:30 p.m. and the game is televised on ABC.
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