The third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide head to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday to take on the Auburn Tigers in the 2021 Iron Bowl in a SEC on CBS game. The Tide (10-1) are the defending national champion and will be trying to stay in position to go for a seventh national title under head coach Nick Saban. They have made the College Football Playoff in five of the past six seasons, with a loss to Auburn keeping them out in 2019. The Tigers (6-5) have lost three in a row, most recently a 21-17 loss to South Carolina last Saturday. Alabama has won five straight, including a 42-35 win against Arkansas last week, since their 41-38 loss to Texas A&M.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET in Auburn, Ala. The Crimson Tide are 20-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Auburn odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 57. Before locking in any Auburn vs. Alabama picks or predictions, you need to see which side of the Iron Bowl spread red-hot college football expert Tom Fornelli is backing.
The CBS national writer has been profitable across multiple sports, but his specialty is college football. He has had a particularly keen eye for the tendencies of Alabama, going 9-4 on his last 13 picks (+460) involving the Crimson Tide. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Fornelli has zeroed in on Alabama vs. Auburn and just released his coveted Iron Bowl picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the CFB odds and betting lines for Auburn vs. Alabama:
- Alabama vs. Auburn spread: Alabama -20
- Alabama vs. Auburn over-under: 57 points
- Alabama vs. Auburn moneyline: Alabama -1400, Auburn +800
- ALA: It is 13-10-1 as a road favorite since 2016
- AUB: It is 5-3 ATS as a home underdog since 2016
Featured Game | Auburn Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Why Alabama can cover
Alabama’s offense is humming behind Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Young. The Tide score 44.4 points per game (second in FBS), and the sophomore quarterback has 3,584 passing yards, with 38 TD passes and just three interceptions. He is completing almost 72 percent of his pass attempts. The Crimson Tide are 13-4 against the spread in their last 17 after passing for more than 280 yards in their previous game, and Young threw for a school-record 559 last week. Jameson Williams had 190 yards receiving to give him 1,206 this season.
John Metchie III (895 yards, seven TDs) also is a top-flight receiver, and running back Brian Robinson Jr. (945 yards, 10 TDs) wears down defenses. Auburn allows more than 371 yards (58th in FBS) and 22 points (37th) per game, while Bama allows less than 20 points (19th). Alabama is 28-18-1 ATS in the regular season since 2018, and its defense has 17 takeaways and 37 sacks. Will Anderson is No. 2 in the nation with 13 sacks, and Jalyn Armour-Davis has three of the unit’s 12 interceptions. Henry To’oTo’o (84 tackles, four sacks) is a force at linebacker.
Why Auburn can cover
The home team has won the last four meetings, covering the spread each time, and the Tigers could catch the Tide off guard. Alabama was ranked in the top five the past two times it came to Jordan-Hare, and the Tigers won 20-16 in 2017 and 48-45 in 2019. Auburn has beaten two ranked teams this season, including a 31-20 win against a strong Ole Miss squad last month. T.J. Finley will start at quarterback in place of the injured Bo Nix, but Finley was the LSU starter to begin last season. He threw for 945 yards in five starts, with five TDs but five interceptions.
Finley threw for 188 yards and a TD last week and had a special bond with wide receiver Shedrick Jackson, who had seven catches for 111 yards. The Tigers relied heavily on running back Tank Bigsby against South Carolina, and he ran for 164 yards and a TD. The sophomore has 940 rushing yards and 10 TDs this season. The Auburn defense will try to put heavy pressure on Young, who has been sacked 26 times. Ends Derick Hall and Eku Leota have six sacks apiece, and Colby Wooden has four. Auburn is 11-7 ATS in its home games since 2019.
How to make Alabama vs. Auburn picks
Fornelli is leaning over on the point total. He has also identified a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s sharing what it is, and which side of the Auburn vs. Alabama spread he’s backing only at SportsLine.
So who wins Saturday’s Alabama vs. Auburn Iron Bowl matchup? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Auburn vs. Alabama spread to back Saturday, all from the expert on a 9-4 run on recent picks involving the Crimson Tide, and find out.
