The rivalry doesn't care that both quarterback rooms are basically brand new — the Iron Bowl still shows up on the calendar, and this year it comes with a first-year coach trying to make his mark.
Share
Show fees
FRI NOV 27 · 11:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
Auburn
Alabama
Both sidelines look different than they did a year ago. Alabama's Ty Simpson is gone to the NFL, leaving Kalen DeBoer to sort out a real quarterback competition for the first time since he arrived in Tuscaloosa. Auburn's situation is more dramatic — Hugh Freeze was fired in November and Alex Golesh came over from South Florida, bringing his own quarterback, Byrum Brown, and a wave of USF transfers with him. By the time this one kicks off on Friday, November 27, both staffs should finally know who they're trusting under center.
Golesh's arrival wiped out Auburn's entire 2025 quarterback room — Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight all left for other programs. Brown is the presumed starter after following his coach from Tampa, but his spring game was rough: 7-of-14 passing with 2 interceptions and no scoring drives, enough to get his throwing motion picked apart on social media before Golesh publicly backed him. Alabama's competition looks more open, with 5-star sophomore Keelon Russell drawing praise for an A-Day showing (21-of-33, 4 touchdowns) over Washington transfer Austin Mack, though DeBoer has said the battle carries into fall camp.
Whoever wins those jobs inherits a talent gap on the outside, too. Auburn lost its best playmaker when Cam Coleman, the nation's top-rated transfer wideout, bolted for Texas, while Alabama is patching its offensive line with pickups like Kaden Strayhorn and Ethan Fields. Neither side is walking into this version of the Iron Bowl with the star power it had last November — but Alabama still walks in with the streak.
Auburn Tigers
Alabama Crimson Tide
That streak is the backdrop for everything here. Alabama has won 6 straight in this series, including a 27-20 win at Jordan-Hare last season that clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game. DeBoer became the first Alabama coach to start 2-0 against Auburn since Gene Stallings in the early '90s. Golesh's goal in year one is simpler than a title chase — he's talked about building a foundation, and there's no bigger early measuring stick than snapping that streak in Tuscaloosa.
Auburn Tigers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Alabama Crimson Tide
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries to report
It's worth remembering how lopsided Alabama's season ended — a 38-3 blowout loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl that capped a second straight 4-loss year and dropped the Tide outside the preseason top 10 in early rankings for the first time since 2008. Auburn, meanwhile, is projected as roughly a 6-win team by ESPN's FPI while replacing nearly its entire defensive starting lineup. Both programs have real questions to answer well before Thanksgiving weekend, and the answers should start showing up in fall camp.
