Ryan Clark discredits Iron Bowl rivalry due to Auburn's record: 'It can’t be a rivalry if one team don’t ever win'

ESPN‘s First Take continued its HBCU campus tour by hosting Friday morning’s show from inside Birmingham’s Legion Field ahead of Saturday’s Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State. But it was another well-known college football rivalry that got its start inside Legion Field that sparked a heated debate between the fiery First Take panelists.

During a discussion about college football’s greatest rivalry, ESPN’s Cam Newton opened things up by extolling all the reasons the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn stands head and shoulders above all others, including The Game between Michigan and Ohio State. Newton’s point boiled down to one simple reality — the Iron Bowl is the only game that matters to the people of Alabama.

“In Alabama, football is a religion. Football is a way of life,” Newton said. “And if you don’t understand that, you can’t be from the South.”

Newton’s diatribe prompted fellow ESPN analyst Ryan Clark to take aim at Auburn, Newton’s alma mater, which has lost five straight in the bitter rivalry series that dates back to 1893. In fact, the Tigers haven’t beaten Alabama since a 48-45 upset in 2019 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, with the Crimson Tide claiming victory in nine of the last 11 Iron Bowls.

Ryan Clark: The Iron Bowl ‘is not the greatest rivalry in college football, it’s Ohio State-Michigan’

“Honestly, if we’re being honest, since Cam left school, more people care about LSU–Alabama than care about Auburn-Alabama. Listen, guys, it can’t be a rivalry if one team don’t ever win,” Clark countered. “The greatest rivalry in college football is Michigan-Ohio State. And I’m an SEC guy, but they’ve been playing this game since 1897. The reason this game is important is they were having a border dispute. It’s called the Toledo War – a war was apart of this game.

“We watched Charles Woodson, my favorite football player of all time, go to throw hands with David Boston in this game. Jack Sawyer, just last year, had to be pulled off the field because them people tried to plant (the Michigan) flag on the field,” Clark continued. “Ryan Day had won a million games and was fixing to get fired last year until he won the (national) championship because he couldn’t beat Michigan. When Cam Newton found a way to come back against Alabama, they weren’t trying to fire Nick Saban. So, no, (the Iron Bowl) is not the greatest rivalry in college football. It’s Ohio State-Michigan.”

Of course, The Game has also been a little one-sided of late, with the Wolverines currently holding a four-game win streak and a 62-51-6 all-time advantage in the series that began in 1897. But prior to Michigan’s 42-27 win in 2021 to begin its win streak, the Buckeyes had won the previous eight straight between 2012-19.

Meanwhile, Alabama holds a 51-37-1 advantage in the all-time series vs. Auburn. The Crimson Tide own the longest win streak in the Iron Bowl after claiming nine straight between 1973-81.