It’s finally here. The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the Auburn Tigers in an Iron Bowl that means a little bit more this year. Why? Because it’s simple for Alabama, win and you’re in the SEC championship, lose, and you can all but kiss your hopes at the CFP goodbye.

So will Alabama be able to take down a new-look Tigers team on the road? Or can Auburn play spoiler and all but end Alabama’s season? Our panel of college football experts makes their picks.

Alabama 37, Auburn 30

Personally, as an Alabama alum and someone very invested in the game, I’m nervous. The Auburn Tigers are playing much better than their record indicates. They have put up over 100 points in the last two games, and they have a new energy under D.J. Durkin.

That, coupled with the home-field advantage, will keep this game closer than it should be, in my opinion. I expect Alabama to come out on top via a signature performance from Ty Simpson and a bounce-back game from Ryan Williams. – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama

Alabama 31, Auburn 17

Alabama controls its own destiny against Auburn, and it needs to make a statement to add to its resume. The College Football Playoff selection committee has been critical of Alabama, and this is the perfect chance to add a hostile road win to cap off the regular season. Ty Simpson had a weird game last week without Germie Bernard and Josh Cuevas, and he has the chance to bounce back with Auburn, allowing almost 240 passing yards per game.

The running game also needs to carry over its momentum from last week to balance out the offense, and maybe offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will be coaching from the field again. Alabama’s defense has been playing lights out, which is bad news for Ashton Daniels, who will get the start over Deuce Knight. I don’t see Auburn being able to move the ball well on offense, and Alabama wins the 2026 Iron Bowl 31-17. – Josh Taylor, A to Z Sports Alabama

Alabama 27, Auburn 20

The Iron Bowl quite often brings some absolutely wild drama. Whether it’s a last second hail mary, 70+ points scored (in three of the last seven games), or the favorite getting upset, Auburn vs. Alabama is always an exciting game. This year the Auburn Tigers have completely fallen apart, fired their head coach, and now find themselves sitting at 5-6, needing a win to lock in bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, Alabama has looked like a true playoff contender for much of the season with quarterback Ty Simpson looking like a first-round prospect.

However, Ty Simpson has looked quite human in his last few starts after a hot middle of the season. He almost blew it against South Carolina, proved to be inefficient against LSU, then fell far short of expectations in the loss to Oklahoma. Auburn’s defense has been extremely tough all year long, ranking top 15 in defensive success rate allowed, and top 10 or so in most run defensive measures. If quarterback Ashton Daniels can just get a few points on the board this one probably stays tight until the very end. Alabama still likely pulls this off, but it’s far more difficult than many expect. – Travis May, A to Z Sports College Football

Alabama 21, Auburn 10

There have been years where the differences between the two teams have been marginal, and there’s been blowouts. There have been years where this game shouldn’t be close and it is. This game will be close, and by close I mean Alabama will only start to pull away near the end of the game. That’s simply because Auburn has a really good defense. This is a very important game for Bama. Lose this game, and you could be out of the playoff. Win this game and there’s no doubt you’re in, even if you lose the SEC Championship, you may still get in. – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports College Football

Final takeaways

With the entire panel taking Alabama in this one, it’s going to be a major disappointment if the Crimson Tide comes up short in what figures to be a match-up that millions will be watching on Saturday night.

Alabama Crimson Tide News

Auburn flips the script on Alabama just days before the Iron Bowl with a head-scratching decision at quarterback

Auburn is making a giant change at quarterback ahead of Saturday.

Rob Gregson