Auburn (8-3) at Alabama (10-1) Nov. 29, 7:45, ESPN 

Here’s The Deal: There’s no way, no how, no chance this can match the thrill and excitement of last year’s epic Iron Bowl, partly because the stakes aren’t as high – at least for Auburn. However, there’s a chance for the Tigers to screw things up for the Tide, while Alabama is looking to take the SEC West and be one step closer to getting into the playoff. 

Can Auburn find a little of its 2013 magic? It’s been a good year, but fumbles against Texas A&M and struggles on the road to Mississippi State and Georgia have been costly. This might have been a disappointing season for a team looking to get back to the national championship, but if the Tigers can break Bama’s heart for a second straight season, for a large portion of the fan base, the three losses won’t be remembered in any way. 

But what’s gone wrong? Why isn’t Auburn playing for a spot in the playoff? The offense has been a bit inconsistent, and the defense, while strong early on, has given up more and more as the SEC season has worn on. When the offense isn’t coming up with ungodly numbers, the defensive problems have become magnified. However, the running game still works, Nick Marshall is a dangerous and efficient passer, and there are more than enough pieces in place to pull off the win. 

Can Alabama step up and make a big statement? All it cares about is winning by one point, but it would be nice if there’s a dominant performance again after weeks of being good, but not necessarily No. 1 good. The playoff committee has bought in to Bama on the “eye test,” but there’s only one win at the moment over a top 25 team, and the loss to No. 19 Ole Miss is currently the worst of anyone in the top five. No, there’s no budging off the top spot with a win, but considering Mississippi State made it interesting, it took a massive comeback to get by LSU, and it was a fight to get by Arkansas, this hasn’t been the dominant team of previous years’ past. 4-8 in the last 12 games against the Tigers, it’s been a rough run at times for Tide fans. After dealing with everything surrounding last year’s classic, they need this win. 

However, even a loss might not be the be-all-end-all. Barring something insane, the SEC champion is going to get into the playoff. If Ole Miss beats Mississippi State, Alabama is in the SEC championship no matter what. The Crimson Tide will know where they stand about halfway through the game, but as anyone in the state knows, winning the national championship is big, but it’ll sting if it comes with a loss to the hated rival. 

Why Auburn Might Win: Nick Marshall really can throw. Even with D’haquille Williams hurting, the Auburn passing game is still impressive, with Nick Marshall hitting 60% of his passes and coming up with a nice balance to the ground attack. Yes, he struggled against Georgia, and no, he’s not necessarily consistent, but he’ll be able to hit a few deep balls on a Tide secondary that’s not quite as good as the overall stats. Tennessee, Mississippi State, and even Western Carolina all threw for over 200 yards, and while Bama put the clamps down on Texas A&M and LSU, it’s given up 200 yards or more in seven of the 11 games so far. Auburn isn’t going to want to live by going through the air, but it can do it just enough to keep the Tide honest. Considering Alabama has had a few problems putting teams away, and had problems getting going against LSU and Arkansas, Auburn should be in the hunt late. 

Why Alabama Might Win: What’s one of the biggest differences between 2013 Auburn and 2014 Auburn? Pass rush. The Tigers came in waves last year with a great rotation working around Dee Ford, and while it’s good this season, through 11 games they have five fewer sacks and 14 fewer tackles for loss. When the defense is getting behind the line, big things happen, but there were only three times so far this year when the D failed to come up with five tackles for loss – Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Auburn lost all three games. The Tigers might have to sell out a bit to get pressure on Blake Sims and the Tide running backs to disrupt them before they can get rolling, and that’s going to be a problem. Allow the Tigers to chase, get Amari Cooper or T.J. Yeldon the ball on the move, and it’s uh-oh time for the secondary. Auburn has allowed 400 yards or more of total offense in its last five SEC games – the offense had better be ready to get into a shootout against the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense that hasn’t allowed more than 23 points in any game this year. 

Who To Watch Out For: They’re among two of the most forgotten big plays in the history of college football. Had the great Bama D of last year been able to come up with one late stop, Amari Cooper’s 99-yard touchdown catch for a 28-21 lead might have been one of the season’s top moments, but instead, Auburn came back and tied it with 32 seconds to play on a 39-yard pass play to Sammie Coates. Both touchdowns are footnotes thanks to Davis! Davis!! Davis!!!, but this year the two star targets are making huge impacts in different ways. Coates only has 25 catches, but he’s a dangerous big play target averaging 20.4 yards per catch and doing his job to stretch the field. 

Meanwhile, Cooper is a finalist for the Biletnikoff and a mortal lock to win it barring a total disaster. While he cooled off a bit after an amazing four game run to start the year, and he got banged up in the Western Carolina win, he’s gunning for his third straight 100-yard game against the Tigers. 

What’s Going To Happen: You know exactly what you’re going to get. There will be massive ebbs, flows and momentum swings, and it’ll take several clutch plays from both sides to get into a fourth quarter with the outcome still in question. This time around, the Alabama defense won’t falter when it comes to getting one final stop. 

Prediction: Alabama 30 … Auburn 27 
Line: Alabama -9.5 o/u: 53.5 
Must Watch Factor: 5: Birdman – 1: Horrible Bosses 2 … 5