The Alabama Crimson Tide are aiming to avoid a massive Iron Bowl upset loss as they take on the Auburn Tigers in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
Saying that the Alabama Crimson Tide have been rolling throughout the 2018 season would be doing their dominance a disservice. Nick Saban’s team, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, has been an absolute juggernaut from the start this year. Now they look to complete the perfect regular season on Saturday by knocking off the rival Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.
We’ve seen dominant Alabama teams over the years, there’s no question, but few have looked like this one. Not only is the Crimson Tide defense a force once again, anchored by studs like Deionte Thompson and Quinnen Williams, but they now have an offense to match the prowess on the other side of the ball.
As a true sophomore, Tua has been a revelation, likely playing himself to winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy. He’s not alone, however, with big-time weapons like Damien Harris, Henry Ruggs and many others around him to make plays once he gets them the rock. With that potency when they have the ball, they may be unstoppable.
Auburn, meanwhile, entered the 2018 season with high expectations, but has really fallen short of that. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the offense have shown glimpses of what kind of upside they possess. However, they’ve been wildly up-and-down throughout the year. And with the defense playing well, but not at an elite level, that has led to struggling to compete against some stout SEC competition.
Game Info
Date: Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBS All-Access
Rightfully so, the Crimson Tide are favored heavily at home in this game over their rivals. Perhaps the more interesting tidbit is the Over/Under line, which seems to indicate that the oddsmakers believe the Tigers won’t be putting much of an effort up on the scoreboard on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Alabama -24.5
Moneyline: Alabama -2500, Auburn +1400
Over/Under: 52.5
Prediction
It would be to say that the Iron Bowl will live up to the expectations set in previous years, but I just don’t see that being the case. With an inconsistent defense and even more inconsistent offensive effort, I don’t see how Auburn is going to even come close to keeping the pace against this Alabama teams seemingly destined for another title.
Final Score: Auburn Tigers 7, Alabama Crimson Tide 48