AUBURN, Ala. — This wasn’t your typical in-state grudge match.
That in itself would have been enough when Alabama and Auburn met on Saturday afternoon. But the 82nd edition of the Iron Bowl offered so much more than bragging rights.
This game would decide who won the SEC West, who would move on to play for the conference championship and who would survive in their quest to reach the College Football Playoff. It meant, well, everything. “The Iron Bowl was always big,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said earlier in the week, “… but this one is especially big.