Alabama Senior Captains Expect Big Environment for Iron Bowl

The Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to The Plains with its postseason hopes on the line, as Alabama currently sits at 9-2 (6-1 in the SEC) and is ranked No. 10 in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. The Crimson Tide will take on Auburn (5-6, 1-6) in the first night Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2007. The crowd at Auburn will be ready to go in support of their team, as Auburn needs to topple the Crimson Tide to achieve bowl eligibility.

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A loss in the Iron Bowl for Alabama knocks Alabama down to 9-3, and almost assuredly out of the playoff picture for Selection Sunday, a week from this Sunday. A win sends Alabama to the SEC championship game, where the Crimson Tide would face either the Texas A&M Aggies or the Georgia Bulldogs.

Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze after the Tigers' 10-3 loss to Kentucky, and since then, the Tigers have seen a revitalized offense, headlined by senior quarterback Ashton Daniels. Since the game moved to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1989, the Tigers have a winning record against the Crimson Tide at home, going 10-7 in games played on the Plains.

Alabama features just 10 players in its roster who have played an Iron Bowl on the Plains, with two being redshirt senior captains, Deontae Lawson and Tim Keenan III, both from the state of Alabama, and both understanding the magnitude of the Iron Bowl rivalry.

"It's an SEC environment," Defensive lineman Tim Keenan III said. "It's a good environment, but the fans can't play. The players have to play, the coaches have to play. That's the main thing on that."

"I haven't really said anything," Lawson said. "We've been to hostile environments. We know the history and the tradition of this game. We've got to be extra locked in, extra detailed this week, and create our own environment and just dominate the environment. That's the key to the game for sure.""

The 90th edition of the Iron Bowl is likely the biggest game of Kalen DeBoer's Alabama tenure so far, and the Crimson Tide will have its hands full on November 29 when it takes on the Tigers. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.