The winner of the Iron Bowl has gone on to play for the national championship in seven of the last eight seasons. That statement has not been lost on either the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Auburn Tigers. Whoever wins this meeting will win the SEC West and put itself in position to make the College Football Playoff with a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. This game has given us many memorable moments over the years, and might just give us another one in 2017.
Watch this regular season Week 13 matchup live on Saturday, November 25, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. This game will be broadcast on CBS.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alabama -4.5
Auburn +4.5
Over/Under 47.5
Odds Analysis
The Crimson Tide have been on an unbelievable run over the last 10 years and are looking to finish undefeated in the regular season once again. Alabama is 5-6 ATS this season, but has been a massive favorite in almost every game. Only once has the No. 1 team in the land been favored by less than two touchdowns prior to this game this season.
Auburn breathed new life into its season after it dismantled Georgia two weeks ago. The Tigers were unable to beat either Clemson or LSU on the road, but the way that they beat down both Mississippi State and Georgia at home makes bettors believe they have a chance against Alabama. This offense has been humming in recent weeks and that has led to the over cashing in seven of Auburn’s last eight games.
This line has stayed at 4.5 since it was released.
Matchup to Watch
Both teams want to take the air out of the ball and keep it on the ground, but they do it in different ways.
Alabama is your traditional power team that will give you a lot of standard looks. The Crimson Tide will just line right up and smash you in the mouth if they can thanks to their never-ending collection of talent. They are averaging over six yards per carry this season and all of their primary ball carriers are running for at least five yards an attempt. Only Jalen Hurts has averaged more than 10 attempts per game this season, making these backs very fresh.
Gus Malzahn has a different approach. The offensive guru likes to run out of the spread and without the depth of Alabama, relies on Kerryon Johnson to get the job done. Johnson has quietly had a very good season, surpassing 100 yards in six of his last 10 games.
Whichever side runs the ball better is very likely to win this one.
Key Injuries
Although the Crimson Tide have incredible depth, you have to wonder if there comes a tipping point considering how many players have suffered major injuries this season.
The linebacking corps has been particularly hard hit with Shaun Dion Hamilton, Mack Wilson, and Christian Miller all suffering major injuries over the last few weeks. Additionally, Terrell Lewis suffered an elbow injury in the season opener against FSU and has been sidelined ever since.
Saban announced that Wilson, Miller, and Lewis may be able to play against Auburn this week though. That would be enormous against a team like Auburn, who will try to run you all over the field and wear your starters out.
Free ATS Pick
Alabama has only lost to Auburn three times in the Saban era. The first loss came when he was putting the pieces together during his first season in Tuscaloosa. The other two losses were so stunning that both games received nicknames and forever went into Auburn lore.
It seems like the Tigers need a minor miracle to beat Alabama and with Malzahn possibly having one foot out the door, I like the Crimson Tide to cover the spread in this one.
College Football Odds: Alabama 27, Auburn 20
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