5 best rivalry games die-hard fans have to watch Thanksgiving week

Iron Bowl, The Game and the best rivalry games die-hard fans have to watch Thanksgiving week

AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 25: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs the ball during a football game between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, November 25, 2017 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Photo by Chip Dillard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5 of 6

BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 03: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs for a third quarter touchdown while playing the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama won the game 29-0. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Auburn vs. (1) Alabama – Saturday 3:30 pm – CBS

One of the great college football rivalries will take place on Saturday, when Auburn heads to Bryant-Denny Stadium to face-off against in-state rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

Although Auburn hasn’t lived up to the hype this season, don’t expect them to come out flat against Alabama. Last season, the Tigers upset the Crimson Tide 26-14, but in the end, the game did not matter and Alabama went on to win the National Championship. For the Tigers to make it two straight Iron Bowl victories, they will need to find some consistency on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham and running back JaTarvious Whitlow have shown flashes of why this team was ranked in the top-10 to start the season, but have been unable to produce on a consistent basis. If these two can put together a complete game and help Auburn control the clock, the Tigers could make it tough for Alabama for a second straight year.

The Crimson Tide have been playing at a level that arguably no team has ever played. Offensively, Heisman front-runner Tua Tagovailoa has completely transformed Alabama into one of the most dynamic offenses in the country. Tagovailoa has a unique ability to extend plays and has yet to be disrupted by an opposing teams pressure. However, Tagovailoa has battled a lingering knee injury, but showed no signs of any limitations last weekend against the Citadel.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alabama has smothered opposing offenses on all fronts. There are simply no cracks in this defense. On the year, Alabama has held opponents to 13 points and 284 total yards per game, both of which rank in the top-five nationally. Don’t expect these trends to change this weekend, Alabama has done this for years under Nick Saban and show no sign of letting up.

The Crimson Tide will be out for revenge after being upset in the Iron Bowl last season. Alabama will enter the game as a 24.5 point favorite and will cover the spread at home.

Home/College Football