Big Stakes for Auburn, Hugh Freeze vs. Alabama

The Auburn Tigers want to be a team on the upswing, while Alabama is seeking a consolation prize for a lost season.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze has stuck with quarterback Payton Thorne despite some bumps along the way. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

60 minutes remain for Auburn football to continue their season. With a win, the Tigers become bowl eligible. Despite losing too many times late in games, the 2024 Tigers would qualify for a bowl with a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

When the team looked dead in the water after blowing a 21-0 lead, they managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat with a stunning quadruple-overtime thriller of a victory versus Texas A&M on Saturday. 

After losing four-consecutive games that appeared to sink this season, the team has won three of their last four. Now, they stand toe-to-toe with Alabama with more than actual pride on the line and a shot to keep playing.

The Right Time

Auburn heads into the Iron Bowl on a hot streak, while their opponent limps in. Alabama, watching their playoff hopes fade away, will struggle to summon up the required passion to play in a game. Even one as big a the Iron Bowl. Some feel like this game is just one in a disappointing season. 

No SEC championship, no playoff game. Moreover, a quarterback that struggled versus Oklahoma. The Tide looks tired and unmotivated. Yet, without hyperbole, with everything that went sideways for the Crimson Tide, this actually benefits Auburn greatly.

Truthfully, the Tigers need to win this game far more than the team from Tuscaloosa. A win for Auburn would in a sense, save a lost season. A win for Alabama would be a consolation prize after a series of missed goals. 

Temporary Absolution

For Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze, a victory would serve several purposes outside of the obvious gaining of bowl eligibility. Freeze has not distinguished himself during his two seasons on The Plains.

From throwing his team under a fleet of buses, to questionable dedication to one quarterback, people mostly wanted Freeze out of Auburn, or at the very least to stop seeing the same mistakes game after game. 

However, the late-season surge quieted the complaints, at least for the moment. Combined with a stellar recruiting class, Freeze bought himself time and grace. Now, with an Iron Bowl win, he could actually endear himself to the fanbase.

If sunshine is the greatest antiseptic, an Iron Bowl win curries favor with a fanbase and administration that desperately wants to see a return to greatness. 

Most importantly, a win on Saturday could lead Freeze back down the road to respectability. You still hear the jokes about his career and issues in Oxford. While they still exist, success, right or wrong, clouds memories.

Overview

The 2024 Iron Bowl stands alone as a potential watershed moment in the rebuilding of Auburn football. Besides being the rivalry game in the South, this year's version resonates deeper for Auburn. After the Harsin era of futility and defeat, hope existed for Hugh Freeze. 

After a disappointing year to this point, the team can exorcise the demons of recent failures. Fans, alums, and pundits want to believe the turning of the proverbial corner will lead to further success. Enduring heartbreaking losses hardens players and coaches as a whole. 

In contrast, winning brings confidence. Heading into this game, an upbeat Auburn team could emerge victorious in the biggest game of the last year. 

The next 60 minutes will decide how people will remember the 2024 Auburn football team.