AP
Auburn players sit in the student section as fans take the field to celebrate an upset of Alabama after an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
In one of the wildest Iron Bowl’s in recent memory, Auburn held off Alabama for a 48-45 win to close out the regular season.
There was no division crown on the line, but the win put Auburn one step closer to a 10-win season while extinguishing Alabama’s College Football Playoff aspirations. Though the game may not have had some of the implications of other recent battles between the two in-state rivals, it still produced an instant classic at Jordan-Hare Stadium that people will talk about for some time.
Here’s a look at what’s being said across the country about Auburn’s wild win in the Iron Bowl:
-- Iron Bowl loss may portend new reality for Alabama (Sports Illustrated)
-- “Auburn and Alabama gave us a view into exactly what separates college football from every other sport” (ESPN)
-- Auburn sinks Alabama’s CFP hopes (ESPN)
-- Another failed field goal in the Iron Bowl wiped away the Tide’s playoff aspirations (AP)
-- A clever trick by Gus Malzahn shattered Alabama’s playoff dreams (Yahoo Sports)
-- Thanks to Auburn, the CFP will be played for the first time without Alabama (AP)
-- Auburn channeled the chaos in an instant classic (The Athletic)
-- Mac Jones threw two pick-sixes, and Auburn made Alabama pay (CBS Sports)
-- This was the most undisciplined game of the Nick Saban era, as Alabama was unprepared for Auburn (CBS Sports)
-- Auburn set to make key move in rankings (CBS Sports)
-- “Auburn has played like the better team for much of this season, albeit with fewer offensive fireworks against a far more difficult schedule” (USA Today)
-- Auburn made the plays when it mattered most, and Alabama did not (Bleacher Report)
-- Alabama has no excuses for Iron Bowl loss to Auburn, only next season to prepare for (Sporting News)
-- Auburn, Gus Malzahn seize control of Iron Bowl rivalry (AL.com)
-- “Alabama Factor” a total dud in disappointing Tide season (AL.com)
-- Actually, that Iron Bowl made perfect sense (Banner Society)
Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.