Alabama Crimson Tide vs Auburn Tigers prediction and game preview.
Alabama vs Auburn Broadcast
Date: Saturday, November 28
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Bryan-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
Network: CBS
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Alabama (7-0) vs Auburn (5-2) Game Preview
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Why Auburn Will Win
The Auburn passing game is starting to work like it’s supposed to.
Bo Nix isn’t playing like Kyle Trask or Trevor Lawrence, and the O is nowhere near the high-flying fun show like Alabama brings every week, but it’s better. After failing to hit 50% of his passes in three of his first four games, Nix has been over 70% in his last three games and he’s doing a better job of hitting his downfield passes.
It helps to play Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee over the last three weeks, but the receivers are there, Nix is experienced enough to handle himself well, and Alabama’s secondary is a wee bit suspect. It’s talented, but it’s had a problem with the better quarterbacks on the slate so far.
More than anything else with Auburn, though, there aren’t a lot of turnovers.
How did Auburn pull off the win last year over the Tide? Two interceptions changed everything, and this year, the Tigers are No. 1 in the SEC in turnover margin going 5-0 when it wins or doesn’t lose the mistake battle, and is 0-2 when it does.
However …
Why Alabama Will Win
Alabama doesn’t screw up, either.
Along with its high-powered offense that has yet to show even the slightest slip, Bama isn’t giving teams any sort of an easy break. The offense has turned it over seven times in seven games – once in every game – and the win over Ole Miss was the only time the team lost the turnover battle.
Auburn’s defense has been good overall and solid against the pass, but it’s been lousy on third downs. With Alabama’s versatility, it can keep things moving in a variety of ways and by spreading it around, and it can also keep things very, very simple.
Najee Harris was brilliant in last year’s game – running for 146 yards and a score and catching four passes for 26 yards – and this year he continues to do everything right averaging close to six yards per carry to go along with his receiving skills. The O will revolve around him as much as possible, but …
What’s Going To Happen
This is the Mac Jones game.
With Tua Tagovailoa out, Jones was terrific against the Tigers last year, throwing for 335 yards and four scores for an offense that generated 161 more yards, he’d the ball for almost 36 minutes, and … gave up two pick-sixes.
Jones has only thrown three interceptions so far this year, he’s hitting 77% of his passes, and he’s averaging over 12 yards per throw as he’s spreading it around to all the NFL-caliber weapons at his disposal.
It’s the Iron Bowl, though, and Auburn is going to once again be plucky. It has won two of the last three in the series, but its last win in Tuscaloosa was back in 2010.
Like last year, the Tide will own the clock and destroy AU in the yardage battle, but this time around they’ll do it all without the two massive mistakes.
Alabama vs Auburn Prediction, Line
Alabama 41, Auburn 20
Bet on Alabama vs Auburn with BetMGM
Alabama -24, o/u: 60.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 4.5
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