60 minutes remain for Auburn football to continue their season. With a win, the Tigers become bowl eligible. Despite losing too many times late in games, the 2024 Tigers would qualify for a bowl with a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

When the team looked dead in the water after blowing a 21-0 lead, they managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat with a stunning quadruple-overtime thriller of a victory versus Texas A&M on Saturday. 

After losing four-consecutive games that appeared to sink this season, the team has won three of their last four. Now, they stand toe-to-toe with Alabama with more than actual pride on the line and a shot to keep playing.

The Right Time

Auburn heads into the Iron Bowl on a hot streak, while their opponent limps in. Alabama, watching their playoff hopes fade away, will struggle to summon up the required passion to play in a game. Even one as big a the Iron Bowl. Some feel like this game is just one in a disappointing season. 

No SEC championship, no playoff game. Moreover, a quarterback that struggled versus Oklahoma. The Tide looks tired and unmotivated. Yet, without hyperbole, with everything that went sideways for the Crimson Tide, this actually benefits Auburn greatly.

Truthfully, the Tigers need to win this game far more than the team from Tuscaloosa. A win for Auburn would in a sense, save a lost season. A win for Alabama would be a consolation prize after a series of missed goals. 

Temporary Absolution

For Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, a victory would serve several purposes outside of the obvious gaining of bowl eligibility. Freeze has not distinguished himself during his two seasons on The Plains.

From throwing his team under a fleet of buses, to questionable dedication to one quarterback, people mostly wanted Freeze out of Auburn, or at the very least to stop seeing the same mistakes game after game. 

However, the late-season surge quieted the complaints, at least for the moment. Combined with a stellar recruiting class, Freeze bought himself time and grace. Now, with an Iron Bowl win, he could actually endear himself to the fanbase.

If sunshine is the greatest antiseptic, an Iron Bowl win curries favor with a fanbase and administration that desperately wants to see a return to greatness. 

Most importantly, a win on Saturday could lead Freeze back down the road to respectability. You still hear the jokes about his career and issues in Oxford. While they still exist, success, right or wrong, clouds memories.

Overview

The 2024 Iron Bowl stands alone as a potential watershed moment in the rebuilding of Auburn football. Besides being the rivalry game in the South, this year’s version resonates deeper for Auburn. After the Harsin era of futility and defeat, hope existed for Hugh Freeze. 

After a disappointing year to this point, the team can exorcise the demons of recent failures. Fans, alums, and pundits want to believe the turning of the proverbial corner will lead to further success. Enduring heartbreaking losses hardens players and coaches as a whole. 

In contrast, winning brings confidence. Heading into this game, an upbeat Auburn team could emerge victorious in the biggest game of the last year. 

The next 60 minutes will decide how people will remember the 2024 Auburn football team.

CNN
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Following upset losses to unranked opponents, Alabama and Mississippi both fell out of the top 10 in the AP Top 25 poll when the latest rankings were released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Miami and SMU moved into the top 10 with Oregon remaining at No. 1 in the rankings for the sixth consecutive week.

In a dramatic week of college football, Arizona State moved up seven places to No. 14 following an upset win over Brigham Young on Saturday, making the Sun Devils the top-ranked Big 12 team in the poll.

Ohio State, Texas and Penn State, all of whom won on Saturday, occupy the next three spots behind the Ducks, who are now the only undefeated team in the AP Top 25 poll.

Indiana’s 38-15 defeat against Ohio State – its first loss of the season – sees the Hoosiers drop five places but still cling on to a top-10 position, while Alabama and Mississippi were the two biggest fallers with both dropping six spots.

The Crimson Tide is now ranked No. 13 following a shock 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. According to ESPN, it was Alabama’s lowest point tally in a game since 2004 and the first time that the team has been held to under 10 points since 2011.

Ole Miss also dropped out of the Top 10 with a stunning defeat to an unranked opponent, going down 24-17 against Florida to leave the team with slim chances of making the playoffs.

1. Oregon Ducks (11-0)

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1)

3. Texas Longhorns (10-1)

4. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-1)

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1)

6. Georgia Bulldogs (9-2)

7. Tennessee Volunteers (9-2)

8. Miami Hurricanes (10-1)

9. SMU Mustangs (10-1)

10. Indiana Hoosiers (10-1)

11. Boise State Broncos (10-1)

12. Clemson Tigers (9-2)

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3)

14. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2)

15. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3)

16. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3)

17. Iowa State Cyclones (9-2)

18. Tulane Green Wave (9-2)

19. BYU Cougars (9-2)

20. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3)

21. UNLV Rebels (9-2)

22. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)

23. Colorado Buffaloes (8-3)

24. Missouri Tigers (8-3)

25. Army Black Knights (9-1)

Oklahoma stunned their fanbase, the SEC, and the college football world on Saturday night putting a stamp on the 2024 season with an upset over the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide 24-3. It was Alabama’s first visit to Norman since 2002.

There have been very few things to be excited about this season for Oklahoma football. Oklahoma dominated Alabama along the line of scrimmage for three hours. The Sooners’ season could end on a high note, depending on how they fare in Baton Rouge against LSU and how the Sooners perform in their bowl game.

Saturday’s win was a masterclass in desire, toughness, and physicality. The Sooners were the aggressors from the opening snap, and it didn’t stop until the clock read 0:00.

Oklahoma needed heroic performances to pull off this upset, and we wanted to highlight the three stars we thought lost pivotal to the win.

No. 1 Star – Jackson Arnold/Xavier Robinson

It would be a disservice to not include both Jackson Arnold and Xavier Robinson as the No. 1 star. The two combined for 43 carries, 238 yards, and two touchdowns. Robinson scored twice, but Arnold’s toughness as a runner showed the type of competitive fire we’ve come to expect from Oklahoma quarterbacks.

Robinson’s ability to run through contact as a freshman may be his best trait.  It looks even more impressive against a veteran Tide defense.

Joe Jon Finley routinely hit the right button for the offense and Arnold and Robinson rewarded his faith in the run game. With a dominant performance from the offensive line, the Sooners rode the run game to a monumental win.

No. 2 Star – Eli Bowen, Cornerback

The younger of the two Bowens, Eli, brother is entirely out of his five-star brother Peyton’s shadow. Eli has become one of the best freshman defensive players in the country.

Not only did he hold budding superstar freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams to two catches, but he did so by traveling with Williams most of the game. Wherever Williams lined up, Bowen was there, and the effectiveness never waned. When Bowen was in coverage on Williams, Alabama’s true freshman phenom had just one reception on four targets. The one catch went for 30 yards, but other than that, Bowen put the clamps on.

He completely shut down an entire facet of Alabama’s offense, which made Jalen Milroe’s job even more complicated, considering the Sooners had bottled up the run game.

Did we mention Bowen’s incredible interception? He read the play before Milroe even threw it and blew up the screen while picking off the pass in the process. That’s the highlight that will stand out, but Bowen put together a complete performance in coverage and in run support for the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

No. 3 Star – The Offensive Line

Bill Bedenbaugh’s finest work this season was on display last night. Whatever was said, practiced, or reviewed leading up to the game was flawless. The Sooners had a plan, and they executed it to perfection.

Clearly, the offensive brain trust watched what Vanderbilt did to Alabama earlier this season, and they wondered if they could do the same. It started with the boys up front who just beat up on the Alabama defensive line for 60 minutes. Even though the Crimson Tide knew the Sooners weren’t going to ask their quarterback to drop back and throw it 40 times, Alabama still struggled to stop the Sooners rushing attack. 

Oklahoma started the game with this offensive line combination

• Left Tackle – Logan Howland
• Left Guard – Heath Ozaeta
• Center – Troy Everett
• Right Guard – Febechi Nwaiwu
• Right Tackle – Spencer Brown

The Sooners rotated in true freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis, too, and the aggression and movement they created didn’t drop off. Could this be the game that helps spark a massive step forward for the younger Sooners offensive linemen and something they can build on over the remainder of the season?

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.