The Iron Bowl is known for its football and rightfully so. The state produced college football’s national champion from 2009-12 and had the winner of its game in the title game for five straight seasons from 2009-13.
Together, the two schools account for 38 SEC titles and both are among the most successful programs in major college football history ranking in the top-15 in all-time wins.
While the rivalry has produced classic endings and major ramifications across the sport, never has the historic game featured a top-two matchup in the AP poll with the Iron Bowl’s highest ranked contest occurring back in 2013 when No. 4 Auburn beat No. 1 Alabama 34-28 in the famed Kick Six game.
While the famed football game has never seen a top-two matchup in its history, its accolades stack up as one of the best in sports and mount over a lackluster history between the Tide and Tigers on the hardwood.
But these are no ordinary days.
For the first time ever, in men’s basketball No. 1 Auburn will travel to Tuscaloosa, AL to take on No. 2 Alabama for sole possession of the coveted top spot of the SEC standings with just weeks remaining in the regular season race.
A No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup is a feat so historic that the famed Duke-North Carolina rivalry that has played 50 top-10 matchups in its illustrious history has only had two top-two clashes – coming in 1994 and 1998.
The top-ranked Tigers will be going for a second straight win over No. 2 Alabama, with the two programs splitting the last 12 meetings at six wins a piece, after defeating the Crimson Tide 99-81 last February inside of Neville Arena.
But first for Auburn, after suffering its first SEC loss of the season and snapping a 14-game winning streak in a loss to No. 6 Florida on Saturday, the Tigers will travel to Nashville, TN to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. CST prior to the matchup with the Tide.
“You gotta embrace the grind,” head coach Bruce Pearl said following the Florida loss. “There's no question it's a grind. It's a grind for everybody. We go to Vanderbilt where they've only lost once at home. And they've beaten Kentucky, and they just beat Texas today, and they've beaten Tennessee. So, you know, we know that we know that's gonna be a tough place to win.”
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
