Auburn Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide
Friday, 11/26/10, 2:30 PM EDT, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Alabama -4
Current Betting Line: Alabama -4
Opening Total: 58
Current Total: 58.5
Current Moneyline: Alabama -175 / Auburn +155
Auburn gets set to play in the 75th meeting of the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium and will be looking to keep its perfect record in tact. “I think that you’re just going to see an unbelievable matchup Friday night,” said Tigers center Ryan Pugh. Eight of the last 22 meetings in the series have been decided by 10 points or less and the team has not allowed a first-quarter touchdown to Alabama since 1996. The Tigers are the only team in the nation that has beaten four teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. It’s a pretty impressive mark considering the team has trailed in seven of its 11 victories and rallied from a double-digit deficit in three wins. Auburn is 6-1 ATS versus conference opponents and the college football lines page has them listed as an underdog.
The Tigers are ranked third nationally in rushing offense, fifth in scoring offense and sixth in total offense. Auburn is averaging 324.7 yards rushing against SEC opponents and has rushed for at least 300 yards against six straight conference teams for the first time in school history. “We’re obviously very excited to be here for the Iron Bowl week,” head coach Gene Chizik said. “It’s going to be a really exciting game for our fans and coaches.” The bye week appears to have done wonders for Auburn, which will head into this week’s game as healthy as its been all season.
Alabama is set to conclude its 2010 regular season and leads the series 40-33-1 after back-to-back victories over the Tigers. “It says a lot for the football in this state to have two teams of this caliber playing,” said Tide head coach Nick Saban. The two in-state rivals haven’t both entered this rivalry game ranked in the Top 10 since 1994, when Alabama beat Auburn 24-14. Strangely enough, Alabama owns a 1-6 record in the series in Tuscaloosa and 1-4 mark at Bryant-Denny. The program is 8-2 ATS in November games and 8-5 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.
The Crimson Tide has won 20 consecutive games at Bryant-Denny Stadium dating back to the home opener against Tulane in 2008. It is tied for the second-longest streak in school history at the venue. Many experts are questioning the Tide’s motivation heading into this contest, as the Tigers are the ones playing for a BCS national championship. “We need everybody’s full focus, everybody’s best week of preparation,” said Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog, while the Crimson Tide are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings.
Don’t miss out on a huge weekend on the gridiron and let the college football handicappers at Maddux Sports work for you!
