It’s one of the great rivalries in college football: The Iron Bowl returns in 2021 with fans fully back in attendance as Alabama takes on Auburn. The Crimson Tide are once again a juggernaut in the SEC West and have long been on course for a monumental clash against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. However, the ever-tricky Tigers stand in their way — with the game being held at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama comes in as huge favorites — nearly 20 points. However, the chaotic nature of this rivalry means that anything could happen come kickoff.
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How to watch Alabama vs. Auburn (Iron Bowl 2021)
What time does the game start? Where can I watch it on TV? – Saturday’s game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. EST for viewers in the U.S and will air on TV via CBS.
Live stream: CBS | Sling | fuboTV | Paramont+ – If you have a cable subscription, you may be able to stream online via CBS using the login credentials from your TV provider. If you don’t have cable, you can sign up for fuboTV (free trial), Sling or Paramount+ (free trial) to watch online.
More coverage via the Associated Press
Alabama’s recent trips to Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium have been filled with uncharacteristic misadventures for the college football powerhouse.
The third-ranked Crimson Tide (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) have been bedeviled by pick-sixes and even a Kick Six when visiting the Tigers (6-5, 3-4).
“We’ve kind of been our own worst enemy,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
Auburn may need a little help Saturday as well with the Tide coming in as 19 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Tigers are trying to avoid ending coach Bryan Harsin’s first regular season with four consecutive losses. Alabama has already locked in an SEC Championship Game matchup with No. 1 Georgia, with designs on making the playoffs.
It’s the Iron Bowl debut for Harsin, a former Boise State player and coach.
“I told the players I’m excited to coach in this game,” he said. “This is one of the reasons why I wanted to be at Auburn. Go back before I was ever a part of this program, the Iron Bowl has been a game that everybody’s watched.
“Everybody knows Auburn and Alabama are playing.”
Auburn has won the last two Iron Bowls played on the Plains and three of four. Two years ago, the Tigers returned two Mac Jones interceptions for touchdowns in a 4-45 win that knocked Alabama from the playoffs. Then there was 2013, Chris Davis’s 109-yard return of a missed field goal on the final play.
Despite the hefty point spread and Auburn’s losing streak, Tide safety Jordan Battle has “no concern at all” that his team will get caught taking this one too lightly.
“We know Auburn is the biggest game of the year, so we can’t look past this game,” Battle said. “This is the Iron Bowl, the biggest rivalry, what we’ll be remembered for for the rest of our lives. So we know we can never look past this game.”
YOUNG VS FINLEY
Alabama’s Bryce Young has passed for 3,584 yards with 38 touchdowns against just three interceptions this season. Auburn’s T.J. Finley is coming off his first start of the season and has just 463 yards and three touchdowns with no picks. Finley took the offensive reins with a season-ending ankle injury to Bo Nix, who had started 34 straight games.
