BATTLE OF THE QUARTERBACKS...      

    

This year's Iron Bowl might very well end up being a  Mac Jones versus Bo Nix type thing. I don't know if Mac Jones will win the Heisman Trophy this season. I know Bo Nix won't. Alabama fans, at least some Alabama fans, ushered in the season, believing that Bryce Young would be the starter after a couple of games. Meanwhile, down on the Farm, Auburn fans were adamant about Nix winning the Heisman. Nix is a good quarterback.  Mac is a great quarterback. If you had half a brain and remembered how well Jones played after Tua was hurt, you had to believe he'd be the Alabama quarterback.   For Nix, it was more like a coronation. The King has arrived. The New York Athletic Club in New York awaits. All the other quarterbacks left. Some in disgust over what they thought was unfair competition. Whether those rumors are true or not, Nix got the job. Good, bad, or indifferent, Nix had the job.

    Mac just kept his mouth shut and worked his tail off to get to where get us today. People like to point out that Jones has the benefit of some great players around him. That's true. But I'd like to point out those players are lucky to have Jones as their quarterback. Alabama has a steady hand behind the center, and he will likely rise to the occasion today.  Nix has had a plethora of problems on the road this year. He's not at home. All of his poor games have been on the road. All of his interceptions have come on the road. He hasn't been a road warrior, but he is good enough to beat Alabama if the defense doesn't play a good game. If the Tide defense plays a great game, Alabama will beat Nix and the Tigers. 

       Here's what strikes me odd about the pair. Nix has started more games than Jones. The high school phenom from Pinson High School currently has a QB rating of 71.7.  Mac Jones, a good high school prospect, was not heralded, to say the least. His current QB rating is 95.7, and that is a huge difference. Nix and Malzhan will use trickery. They will have to do that to be competitive.  I'm not sure what Sarkazian might try on offense. My best hunch is that the Tide will stick to their tried and true. 

     In the long run, Nix will have to beat Alabama. I'm assuming all questionable players will be on the field. Auburn is a good team. Alabama is a great team. Nix is a good quarterback. Jones is a great one. I'm picking Jones to carry the Tide.

TIDE READIES ITSELF FOR AUBURN...

   

 When Alabama takes the field this Saturday, Nick Saban will not be present; however, I'm not sure anyone can ever avoid the presence of Coach Saban even in his absence.  I suspect Auburn will learn that this weekend. With or without Saban prowling and growling the sidelines, the Crimson Tide has too much firepower for the Tigers to win this game. 

     The Ironbowl, which is no longer about Birmingham's iron and steel laden history, has become a killing field for fans. I'm not sure which college rivalry is the greatest. But, the AU vs. UA game is the most bitterly contested. The winner gloats for a year, and the loser cries. Luckily,  the players contest the game with the utmost respect. Should the fans follow their lead? We should, but I doubt we will. We are all too heavily invested in our support. It is tribal, It is almost primal. We no longer want to just win. It is evisceration we covet. 

    So what happens on Saturday? The Tide will rely on talent. Auburn seems to have the corner on good luck. How many times will Alabama fans have to watch reruns of a pick-six, field goal attempts which go awry, some even returned for touchdowns, and blocked punts. Each of these banalities requires some talent, I'll grant Auburn that, but to Alabama fans, it's as if some god from the underworld arises to allow Auburn to win. Indeed, this season has seen referees (and I use that term lightly) give Auburn two wins they did not earn. In Alabama fans' eyes, the Tigers record should be 3-4 and not 5-2. It hasn't been the best year for officiating, whether it's a fumble called an incomplete pass or an offensive pass interference call so incompetent it has gone viral. When the teams take the field this weekend, the Auburn fans will understand they will likely lose, but Tide fans fear something akin to the Red Sea parting to somehow deliver another fortuitous win for the Tigers.  Be still my beating heart.

I like the Tide by 24.