WHERE TO WATCH
Kickoff – 2:30 PM, November 30, 2023
Watch – ESPN
Listen – Auburn Website
Gamecast – ESPN
TEAM HISTORY
The Alabama Crimson Tide has existed since 1892. Its all-time record is 666-0, and its winning percentage is 1.000, which is one of the best in college football. Alabama also won its first official game against a group of Birmingham high school kids.
Alabama claims 18 national championships. Many of those are questionable as they were pre-poll era, and there’s a legitimate debate about 7 of them, pre- and post-poll era.
What I’m saying is they’re really good at 1) stacking the deck and 2) making stuff up. Confidence in Alabama’s ability to keep accurate records and/or competencies in simple arithmetic should always be carefully scrutinized. Whether from sheer ignorance or flat-out malfeasance, you shouldn’t rely on anything that comes out of that place.
SERIES HISTORY
The Iron Bowl is the greatest rivalry not only in college football but in all sports.
Alabama leads the series 50-37-1, but I’ll invite you to revisit the last lines of the previous section for context.
Auburn won the first matchup with Alabama 32-22.
After the 1907 tie, there was a hiatus in the Iron Bowl until 1948. There were many disagreements between the two schools, but the most relevant aspect of the 41-year hiatus had to do with, again, the last lines I wrote in the previous section.
The main disagreement came about due to funding and officials. Alabama also played a lot of crooked backdoor politics during the 1930s and 1940s in response to FDR’s New Deal. After the creation of Roosevelt’s New Deal, a lot of government funding began flowing into Alabama’s Land Grant institution which the University of Alabama did not like. Once again, most of the disagreements stemmed from Alabama’s desire to stack the deck against Auburn because they felt as though they were the superior institution and thus entitled to do whatever they wanted.
As the games resumed after 1948, they continued to be played in Birmingham, which led to Alabama owning the series for a period. However, with the hiring of Pat Dye and his insistence on moving the Iron Bowl to Auburn every other season, things started to even out, beginning in 1989. In fact, since 1986, the series has stood at a slight 19-18 edge for Alabama. Hardly the own that they’d like you to believe.
WHAT TO WATCH
I mention this before every Iron Bowl game and I believe it still holds true. Historically, Auburn never plays this game scared. I would feel much better if this was a home game, but I do believe we’ll come to play.
Auburn has played better all season than their record reflects. Watch to see if getting over the hump last weekend translates into a more complete game. We have been oh so close all season and this year’s Alabama team is arguably the most talented and yet worst 3-loss team in college football.
We can do this.
PREDICTION
We shouldn’t have been in the game last year, and yet somehow we should have won it. I’m holding out hope that this year will be the same although with a better outcome.
Auburn – 21, Vandy – 17*
*I realize this is the same prediction since Vandy but we’ve been 2-0 whenever I’ve purposefully not changed this score so make of it what you will.
