The Iron Bowl has officially arrived and this year the stakes are higher than ever. The game has the SEC West title on the line plus national title implications for both team. Winner heads to Atlanta to try and with the conference championship and then possibly onward to Pasadena for the BCS title game. Loser will likely head to the Capital One in a cloud of disappointment.
AJ McCarron is not buying into the hype of the Iron Bowl this year. The senior quarterback is simply referring to the Tigers as "the next team in our way" and he has not looked at what the Tigers' record is this season. McCarron will lead the undefeated Crimson Tide into Jordan-Hare stadium to face an Auburn team that has greatly improved from last year.
The last time the Tigers were on the field, quarterback Nick Marshall completed a Hail Mary to beat Georgia in the final seconds of the game. Gus Malzahn has rightfully earned his spot in the talks for Coach of the Year honors as the Tigers are now 10-1 after going winless last year in the SEC.
Nick Saban and company control their own destiny. The pressure will fall on McCarron to perform on a big stage once again. The quarterback is used to pressure games, but not in an atmosphere like the one the team will be in on Saturday. McCarrron has put up 2,399 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 68.6 percent of his passes. Those are very impressive numbers for the senior, but he will not earn a ticket to New York unless he can play big in the Iron Bowl.
It has been a breakout season for Marshall. He jumped on the seen after converting from cornerback into the position. The quarterback has accounted for most of the Tigers offense, putting up 1,530 yards passing and another 823 yards rushing. This is his first time performing in a big game like this rivalry matchup, something the Tide hopes to take advantage of.
