Alabama was thrust directly back into the race for BCS tickets this past week, as both Kansas State and Oregon dropped from the undefeated ranks in Week 12. The 10-1 Crimson Tide have only one hurdle remaining between them and a meeting with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, a matchup with archrival Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl. Auburn has not been good in SEC play this year, as they are last in the SEC West with a 0-7 conference record. While the Tigers have undeniably dropped off since their national championship run in 2010, they do come into the game with some positive momentum after their 51-7 win over Alabama A&M this past week. Alabama should have no problem slowing down the Tigers offense, which is one of the nation’s lowest scoring units. Auburn is much better on the ground than they are through the air, as RBs Tre Mason and Onterio McCalebb form a pretty effective 1-2 punch on the ground.

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Look for defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to sell out to stop the run, forcing freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace to beat him through the air. Linebacker C.J. Mosley should rack up plenty of tackles against the Tigers. Auburn’s defense has been more successful than the offense, so QB A.J. McCarron and the Alabama offense will need to continue to operate at a high level. McCarron finds himself back in the Heisman discussion after both Collin Klein and Kenjon Barner struggled over the weekend, and a big week against the Tigers would help his position even more. The focus of the Alabama offense is still the ground game, as T.J. Yeldon and Eddie Lacy are each in the middle of terrific seasons running the football, so those two should see plenty of carries against the Auburn D. Funny things happen in rivalries, but the Crimson Tide should have no problem getting through their meeting with the Tigers unscathed, setting up a titanic clash with the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta. For more information about the BCS bowl, visit us here!​