SEC Nation reveals Week 13 destination
SEC Nation, SEC Network’s traveling college football show, announced its final regular-season destination on Sunday: Auburn, Alabama, where the Tigers will host the Crimson Tide.
The SEC Nation crew will head to Auburn for the Iron Bowl in Week 13, which features one of the most storied rivalries in the SEC.
The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn in control of their own fate. Alabama ranked No. 2 in last week’s edition of the College Football Playoff rankings; that could technically change this week, seeing as the Ohio State Buckeyes strung together such a dominant performance against the Michigan State Wolverines that they moved to No. 2 in the AP Poll while Alabama moved down to No. 3, but Alabama remains the same dominant one-loss team its been all season.
Alabama heads into Auburn after a 42-35 win over Arkansas — the score was certainly not one that reflects Alabama as the far-superior team to Arkansas, thanks to a myriad of mishaps from Alabama’s defense that made the game close. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson completed 22-of-30 passes for 326 passing yards and three touchdowns, and Alabama allowed a touchdown-scoring fake field goal off a jump pass to keep the game close. But ultimately, Alabama prevailed, thanks in part to a jaw-dropping stat line from Bryce Young. The first-year starter for the Crimson Tide had 32 completions in 40 attempts, along with 559 passing yards and five touchdowns; meanwhile, he connected with junior wide receiver Jameson Williams eight times for 190 yards and three touchdowns.
Auburn, on the other hand, enters the Iron Bowl on a skid that Bryan Harsin is hoping desperately to correct. Auburn lost Bo Nix, its starting quarterback, to a season-ending injury two weeks ago, and under TJ Finley, the Tigers looked abysmal on Saturday. South Carolina entered the game with hopes of clinching bowl eligibility, despite entering the year with expectations of a rebuild — and much like way Shane Beamer proved preseason expectations wrong, he proved the public wrong by upending Auburn, 21-17, at home. Finley managed just 17 completions in 32 attempts, along with 188 passing yards and one touchdown.
Running back Tank Bigsby carried a heavy load on Auburn’s offense against South Carolina, tallying 164 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. But Auburn, once ranked comfortably in the AP top 10, has now lost three-straight to Texas A&M, Mississippi State and South Carolina, and an impending home matchup against Alabama won’t be any easier.
Auburn and Alabama will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, just hours after the SEC Nation broadcast.