The 88th edition of the Iron Bowl is inching closer to infiltrating our televisions, and Auburn fans across the globe are a little more nervous this time around.
Auburn found confidence by winning three straight games and felt that there was a chance that they could give Alabama a scare, or even an upset, on Nov. 25. However, that mindset changed when the Tigers dropped a shocker to New Mexico State last Saturday. Now, it is all but assumed that Auburn will get run out of their own stadium.
That is the approach that The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel is taking when predicting the outcome of Saturday’s game.
Mandel recently revealed his weekly “picks against the spread”, which included Auburn vs. Alabama. Mandel acknowledges that anything goes in the Iron Bowl, especially when it is played on the Plains. However, he can not imagine the Tigers pulling off an upset after the loss it experienced to New Mexico State a week ago.
There have been some wild Iron Bowls at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Just two years ago, it took Alabama four overtimes to win the thing. Two years before that, Nix, then a freshman, bested Mac Jones and the Tide. But man, New Mexico State? I can’t conjure up a formula where Auburn hangs in there for longer than a half.
According to BetMGM, the spread currently sits at -14.5 in favor of Alabama. Mandel is picking Alabama to exceed the spread by winning, 34-10.
Kickoff for the 2023 Iron Bowl is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
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