Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze have discovered how hard it is to win football games in the Southeastern Conference these days.
Now they can try to beat each other.
DeBoer will cap his first regular season with the No. 13 Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3) — whose SEC championship hopes are dashed, with their College Football Playoff hopes damaged but alive — with a home win Saturday against the Tigers (5-6, 2-5), who need a victory in the annual Iron Bowl rivalry game to reach bowl eligibility in Freeze’s second season.
Both teams have failed to meet fans’ expectations this fall, but statewide bragging rights remain up for grabs. That’s not nothing in a state where this game is a year-round topic.
“Ever since I’ve been here, I think I hear about it every day,” said DeBoer, who added all of those reminders have given the former Washington coach ample opportunity to “understand what it means.”