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The Iron Bowl is one of the very best rivalries in all of sports, pitting two long-time, cross-state rivals against each other in a feud that most fans in the state have in their blood from the moment they’re born.
Alabama and Auburn have been competing against each other since 1893, when the two schools met on the gridiron for the first time. Despite the rivalry being one-sided in terms of national titles — Alabama claims 15 championships, while Auburn has just two in school history — the two teams have been relatively close on the field throughout history, with Alabama holding a 43-35-1 edge.
Both schools have been in the national spotlight recently. They’ve combined for four national titles and five title game appearances in the last six seasons and claim five of the last six SEC championships as well. In no uncertain terms, the national title has passed through the state of Alabama for much of the last decade, and it doesn’t appear as if that trail will change anytime soon.
Both will likely head into the 2015 season as top-10 teams, early favorites to make it to the College Football Playoff. Which is better positioned to be a powerhouse going forward?
On-field results
Alabama has been good for 10 wins every year since Nick Saban arrived on campus, leaving out his first rebuilding season. Auburn has consistently been a contender in the SEC for much of the last decade as well. Neither is an unfamiliar spot, so there’s no reason to expect a regression to the mean for either.
However, throughout history, Auburn hasn’t typically maintained streaks of great success, and that goes for recent history as well. Two seasons after the 2010 national championship, Auburn went 3-9, including 0-8 in the SEC, and canned coach Gene Chizik. Last year, following a run to the BCS title game in 2013, Auburn dropped to 8-5 and had a myriad of issues across the roster.
Alabama has no problem maintaining success, and it’s building on a streak of seven consecutive 10-win seasons.
Edge: Alabama, although that could start to swing in Auburn’s direction if the Tigers make good on their national championship potential in 2015.
Coaching
Saban and Gus Malzahn are two of the biggest names in coaching.
This season marks the first time since around 2008 that Saban isn’t considered the hands-down best coach in college football; that title goes to Ohio State boss Urban Meyer. Still, Saban is easily one of the top three coaches out there. While he’s not necessarily going to out-scheme opponents — he leaves that to his excellent coordinators — he’s the best program CEO out there.
Malzahn is very much the schemer of the two, and his offense is what helped unleash Cam Newton en route to the 2010 championship. His hurry-up, spread option offense is en vogue in college football, but Malzahn does it as well as anyone.
Both teams have some of the best assistants in the country. Each has a former head coach running one side of the ball: Will Muschamp on defense for the Tigers and Lane Kiffin on offense for the Crimson Tide. Kirby Smart, Alabama’s DC, comes up in head coaching discussions every year, and Auburn OC Rhett Lashlee — who doesn’t get enough credit for how good Malzahn’s offenses have been — won’t be far behind, and he’s just 34 years old.
Edge: Alabama, but the gap has narrowed somewhat. Saban isn’t as firmly on top of the mountain as he was even a year ago, while Malzahn’s name came up as a potential NFL head coach last year and he continues to ascend the college ranks. Alabama’s staff as a whole, with a slew of former head coaches, is hands down the most talented in the nation.
Recruiting
Both of these schools sit near the top of the national ranks every year, but there’s no program that can touch what Saban and Alabama have done in recent years.
The Tide have brought in a top-five class every year since 2008, including a streak of five consecutive No. 1 classes. The recruiting national champions bring in more five-stars than anyone in the SEC and in the country, and had double the amount of five-star prospects in this class than they had three-stars. With all that talent coming in, Alabama’s depth chart is well-stocked for the next several years.
That’s not to say Auburn is some kind of slouch, but the Tigers are a tier down from Alabama and are locked in competition with several other SEC teams to maintain a top-five class in the conference. Auburn consistently pulls in classes that rank inside the top 10, but when your cross-state rival is the unquestioned recruiting juggernaut in the nation, it’s hard to compete.
Edge: Alabama
Culture
Both schools have a fantastic culture around the football team. Alabama is clearly a team that is associated with excellence, with a feeling that players are chosen to play for the Crimson Tide as opposed to being recruited by the school, while Malzahn has made sure that Auburn remains a hot destination for the nation’s best prospects.
These are also two of the most rabid fan bases in the nation. The traditions that both have are among the best in college sports — although sometimes that passion can go too far, as we saw with the Toomer’s Corner oaks a few years ago.
Edge: Push
Sum it up
Overall edge: Alabama
While the Crimson Tide took the nod in most of our categories, this is not some lopsided rivalry. Both teams look to be national championship contenders, this year and going forward. Alabama may have the edge for now, but a College Football Playoff from Auburn this year — something that, heading into summer, is very much in play — would help make this a dead heat between the two schools.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
