TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The heat is on No. 2 Auburn in this Iron Bowl.
The Tigers are unbeaten and vying for a national title shot going into Friday’s game at No. 9 Alabama — which was in that same spot the past two years.
Crimson Tide tailback Mark Ingram says that role reversal means “all the pressure is on them.”
And Ingram, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, is taking a backseat to Auburn’s contender, electrifying quarterback Cam Newton.
The Tide is not ready to yield the state to the Tigers just yet. Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus says ‘Bama’s legacy runs deep in the state, “and we have to keep it going.”
For all its statewide glory, this is the first time the Iron Bowl has pitted two top 10 teams against each other since 1994.