The Curse of Jordan-Hare: Alabama Looking to Break the Spell Again in 88th Iron Bowl

The Crimson Tide is 6-10 all-time at Auburn, including just two wins in the last five contests on the Plains. Can Alabama make it two in-a-row this season?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Some things just don’t make sense.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers are two very different football programs. One has 18 national championships, the other has two. One has 16 consecutive 10-win seasons, the other has just three since 2006.

Once every two years, it plays out the way one would almost expect.

Since Nick Saban’s arrival to Tuscaloosa in 2007, the Crimson Tide has outscored the Tigers 340-145 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. That’s an average score of 43-18 over the course of eight such contests, including a 36-0 victory in 2008 and a 49-0 victory in 2012. Auburn has just one win in Tuscaloosa since 2006, a 28-27 triumph in 2010 on its way to the program’s second national championship.

But every other year, on the Plains, things seem to go the opposite way. The Crimson Tide is 6-10 at Jordan-Hare Stadium all time, including just two wins in the last five tries. Why? There’s really no answer to it. Alabama has probably brought the better team to Jordan-Hare Stadium every year other than Saban’s inaugural season.

Yet, the results haven’t shown that.

In fact, a Crimson Tide team that ended up actually winning a title lost to the Tigers in 2017. Four years prior, in 2013, Alabama was a back-to-back champion, on its way to the coveted three-peat. That was until Chris Davis returned Adam Griffith’s 57-yard field goal attempt for a touchdown in what became known as the "Kick Six."

In 2021, Alabama entered the Iron Bowl 10-1. Auburn was 6-5, and losers of three straight. The Crimson Tide was led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young. The Tigers were onto their second quarterback, TJ Finley, after Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury.

Alabama was a near-three touchdown favorite. And yet, with 1:32 remaining in the game, Auburn led 10-3. Young led Alabama on a 97-yard drive to tie the game and eventually won a thriller four overtimes later.

Two years later, the Crimson Tide is once again 10-1 and on its way to Atlanta on Dec. 2 for the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers are once again 6-5, coming off an embarrassing 31-10 loss to the C-USA’s New Mexico State.

And yet, there are no easy feelings for Alabama fans, who are convinced that there is some kind of voodoo magic within the walls of the 84-year-old stadium.

Who could blame them?

"I’ve been on the sidelines several times with Alabama playing in Jordan-Hare and it almost feels like the stadium itself leans on the Tide," CBS Sports’ Josh Pate told BamaCentral. "It’s a crazy spectacle to witness."

Once again, the Crimson Tide is heavily favored. Alabama has won nine straight since losing to Texas on Sept. 9. Jalen Milroe has become one of the top quarterbacks in college football. There is no way Auburn should win the game.

However, like magic, Crimson Tide fans are going to have to see it to believe it.

"If we’re going to have success there, we’re going to have to execute," Saban said Monday. "I mean, any time you play on the road in this league, it’s a difficult place to play. This is no different. But you know, people talk about all the crazy stuff that happens in this game. But since I've been here, the team that should have won the game won the game based on who played the best."

"So I think the focus needs to be on how are we going to play and how are we going to execute and do what we do and what kind of consistency are we going to be able to maintain in a difficult environment. We've had this challenge several times before, and this one's going to be just as difficult as any of the rest."

Many disagree with Saban’s remark about the better team winning because it seems like every time the Tigers win they pull it off in absurdly-dramatic fashion. The Kick Six may never be topped as the single wildest play in the history of the sport. In 2017, there were bad snaps and missed kicks. In 2019, Mac Jones threw a pass that deflected off a buttocks and went the other way for a touchdown.

"It really has been Nick Saban’s house of horrors," ESPN’s Paul Finebaum told BamaCentral. 

"In his four losses there, only once — his first year — Alabama should have lost. The other three were disastrous. Each time, his team committed absurd mistakes and he was woefully out-coached. Not something you say very often."

On Saturday, Saban doesn’t want his team thinking about the past, but instead, just purely the task at hand.

"For our players, it’s, what do you choose to pay attention to? There are a lot of things out there, in rivalry games, that can get your attention, but we have a plan, and everybody has to know the plan, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams, or whatever," Saban said Wednesday. "We have a process that we’ve been working on to execute that plan for a long time, all season long, so hopefully we focus on the process of what we have to do to execute it."

There are reasons for Alabama fans to feel confident. Both sides have completely different rosters. The Crimson Tide is rolling — as mentioned prior, Auburn lost by three touchdowns to a school that it paid nearly $2 million to play.

Saturday will be Milroe’s first start in the Iron Bowl. For defensive back Malachi Moore, it’s an opportunity to complete his career 4-0 against the hated, in-state rival.

With a win, Alabama will have four consecutive wins over Auburn for the first time since it won nine straight from 1973-1981.

"No matter what state you're from, you do know about the Iron Bowl," Milroe said Monday. "Being from Texas, I know about the Iron Bowl, for sure. I grew up watching it. But to be able to experience the Iron Bowl, it's going to be a great experience, for sure. Especially going on the road to Auburn. It's definitely going to be a big challenge for us. But I do know about the history of it, of the game."

"It’s always a difficult task going into their stadium," Moore said. "Their fans do a great job of being into the game and we’ve just got to go down there and execute."

In a normal world, the Crimson Tide takes care of business, completing a perfect 8-0 record in the SEC this season. In the voodoo-filled Jordan-Hare Stadium, where Alabama is facing one of the few coaches who has successfully pulled off back-to-back wins against Saban, Hugh Freeze, anything — literally anything — could happen.

Advice? Be prepared for either situation.

See Also:

Alabama Football's In-State Talent Looking to Stay Unbeaten Against Auburn