Week 13: Alabama at Auburn

Nick Saban is getting paid a ton of money to win championships at the University of Alabama. Before you can win a title, however, you have to win your state, something Bama has failed to do in each of the past five seasons.

No current player on the Tide roster has tasted a victory over their bitter rivals.

“I’ve never beaten them. It gets me,” said senor offensive lineman Wesley Britt, a native of Cullman, Ala. “It really does, and we’ve got to change that.”

Senior receiver Matt Caddell, from McCalla, Ala., added: “I haven’t beaten Auburn yet. I would cherish having the experience of coming up on the winning end of the Iron Bowl. So here’s just one more shot at it.”

Auburn is no doubt thrilled with its recent success in this great rivalry, but the Tigers aren’t exactly gloating. “We don’t really talk about the streak,” senior quarterback Brandon Cox said in Tuesday’s Mobile Register. “We seniors want to go out winning against Alabama, but it’s really not about the streak.”

There were some interesting comments from the Auburn camp, however. Veteran coach Tommy Tuberville, rumored to be a target of Texas A&M — which, by the way, still has a coach — pledged his allegiance to Auburn.

“I love Auburn, and I love the Auburn people,” Tuberville said. “They’ve done a lot for me, and I hope we’ve done a lot for them. We’re going to be at Auburn as long as they want us here. We’re fired up about that.”

The West Division title has already been decided — LSU has a two-game lead with one to play — but there is plenty at stake a (other than bragging rights) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The winner can stake claim to sole possession of second place in the West, while the loser must settle for a rather ordinary .500 record in league play. Auburn is trying to extend its school record of winning SEC seasons from seven to eight, while Alabama is trying to avoid its second straight non-winning league season and its fourth in the past five years.

The Tide, once 4–1 in the SEC, has dropped three straight, including an inexplicable 21–14 setback to a Louisiana-Monroe team that entered the game with only three wins against Division I-A competition. The Warhawks had given up an average of 51.5 points in two previous games against BCS conference foes (49–26 loss to Clemson, 54–14 loss to Texas A&M), but the Tide managed only 14 points, including none in the second half. Alabama has only scored two offensive touchdowns in its last nine quarters. Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson, who seemed to be hitting his stride in the middle of the season, has regressed. He has thrown four interceptions over the last two weeks, including a game-changing pick in the end zone just before half against Mississippi State.

Auburn has a bye week before the Alabama game for the first time since 1992. And the Tigers need it after getting smacked around by Georgia two weeks ago in Athens. A team that given up a total of 145 points in its first 10 games was torched for 45 by Georgia.

The Tigers will be eager to atone for their defensive sins against Georgia and pick up a sixth straight win over the Tide while they’re at it. Auburn is the more talented team and has the advantage coming off a bye week.

Auburn by 10