Iron Bowl Preview

Is there any better rivalry in all of college football? Sorry Michigan and Ohio State. All apologies to Texas vs Oklahama and apparently Nevada vs Boise St. There may be good rivalries out there but there are none that come even close to the battle for bragging rights in the state of Alabama. (I will add that if you press me I will admit that Army vs. Navy is really awesome and may be a better rivalry). People from outside the state of Alabama don’t seem to understand that this really is a 365 day a year rivalry. I LOVE IT!!

On Black Friday Auburn will travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium to finish off a perfect season and try to prevent Alabama from winning 3 in a row. Auburn is playing for championships and Alabama is not. That is what scares me because Alabama comes in with nothing to lose and can play like it. If you don’t think that matters then go back and watch last years’ Iron Bowl. Auburn has to stay focused despite all the distractions from Cam-gate and it seems to me that Coach Chizik has been able to keep them focused.

Las Vegas has Bama as a 4 point favorite. Interesting. Not often does the number 2 team in the nation go into their last game as a 4 point underdog. I think this says a lot about the advantage of playing at home in this rivalry. Auburn needs to come out early and score. That is a key to winning this game. Take the crowd out of the game and get the momentum. If Bama gets on top early then it may be a long day for Auburn. No offense to Coach Chizik but I’m afraid no amount of stereos during practice can stimulate the noise our guys will hear on the first drive of the game.

What is really the key to this game? Easy – Cam Newton. If he can keep the Bama defense on their heels and guessing, Auburn can keep the ball, score, and control the game. On the other hand if Auburn has a lot of 3 and outs on offense this will allow Bama to control the game with their ground game. Bama will try to control the clock, making it even more important for Auburn to score on almost every possession. This also means the defense must come up with some stops early despite being down 2 lineman in the first half.

Can Auburn win this game? I think they can and I think they will. I think this Auburn offense is playing their best and although Saban will have some new schemes for Cam, I think Cam will still be able to direct the offense. I look for him to run the ball and run it a lot. Look for a big game from Phillip Lutzenkirchen as well as Darvin Adams and company will be covered and covered well. I also look for Gus Malzahn to open it all up and there will be some new looks to this offense. In the end however, the combo of Dyer, OMac and Cam running the ball will prove too much especially with the passing attack is opened up with guys like Lutz making big catches in the clutch.

My prediction – this will be a VERY close game. May come down to who scores last. I still give the edge to Auburn with a final score of 38-34.