From the Sideline — Both Sides Prepare for Iron Bowl Showdown

Hope. That’s what you’re looking for when you face your biggest rival, especially late in the season.

Auburn fans certainly have HOPE that they can win in Tuscaloosa Saturday.

Alabama fans HOPE Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide beats the Tigers by a hundred.

I don’t think either side will get its wish.

Bama fans like to draw on the belief that Georgia’s route of Auburn is a sign of things to come at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Auburn fans know they’ve walked out of that stadium very happy many times in the past 20 years.

While Alabama is certainly capable of putting the foot to the throat, as they did against Texas A&M, I don’t think the Tigers will fold the tents as they did in Gene Chizik’s final season.

I think Tide will start pretty fast offensively, but the may indeed have an opportunity to put this one away early. But I think Auburn will find a way to keep it close until the 4^th quarter. At that point, look for Blake Sims to engineer a drive similar to the one that put away Miss. State a couple of weeks ago.

Bama fans may not get the “pound of flesh” they are hoping to exact from last year’s devastating loss, but look for the Tide to roll into the SEC Championship Game with an 11-1 record.

By the way…

You may have missed it, in the midst of all the championships claimed since Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, but last week’s win over Western Carolina secured the Tide’s school-record 7^th consecutive season with 10 or more victories.

Just to give you a little perspective on that, UCLA – if not one of the elite names in college football, certainly on the next tier – just clinched their third straight 9-plus win season…for the FIRST TIME in school history.