After a year of struggles and their head coach being fired, the Auburn fanbase felt hope again this past Saturday in their win over Mercer. Although Mercer is a much weaker opponent for an SEC team, true freshman Deuce Knight is what sparked hope in the Auburn fanbase. The young quarterback accounted for 401 yards and six touchdowns in his first career start, tying a school record.
Auburn looks to carry this hope into a night game at home against their rival Alabama, who just came off of a surprising loss to Oklahoma a few weeks ago. At first, this game looks to be a comfortable Alabama win. However, after the recent change in events, Auburn could not only upset Alabama but send the Georgia Bulldogs to Atlanta.
Point spread for Iron Bowl is closer than fans think
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the spread is set in favor of Alabama by 5.5 points with the over-under at 46.5. That spread should catch the eye of every Georgia Bulldog. What was once one of the most improbable ways for Georgia to get to Atlanta has become a much more realistic opportunity. Not only is the spread less than a touchdown, but the over-under is significantly high for an Auburn offense.
Keep in mind that offense had been struggling over the season, only putting up three points against Kentucky and 10 against a host of other teams in eventual losses. This proves that the sportsbooks truly believe that Knight is the answered prayer for Auburn fans and he can continue this fortune against the Tide.
On the other side of the football is Alabama. Keep in mind, Alabama is still Alabama. They are a tough and talented team that has beaten some of the top teams in the country, including Georgia. Auburn will need to play at their absolute best to beat Alabama. They might need Alabama to struggle and make mistakes to stay in the game. Luckily for Auburn, Alabama has done that as of recent. In their loss to Oklahoma, Alabama struggled on 3rd down and could not run the football. For a defense very similar to Oklahoma's, that plays right into Auburn's hands.
Jordan-Haire is a dangerous place to play. Some fans say that stadium is even haunted. Put Alabama in Jordan-Haire at night against an Auburn team that is as hot as it has been all season and anything can happen. Now that ESPN's likes Auburn more in this game, Georgia fans should like their chances of making the SEC Championship more too.