Alabama vs. Auburn: Upcoming Game Info and Rivalry History

History of the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry

Alabama and Auburn have one of the longest-running rivalries in college football history, and competition between the two schools predates the sport itself. 

Grants during Civil War reconstruction, land ownership, federal funding, and political battlegrounds all contributed to this football rivalry that emerged toward the end of the 19th century. In fact, there were even moments when it looked like the two schools might be combined due to unfolding political events and financial needs.

Alabama and Auburn first met on the field in 1893, and for many years, they played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Their rivalry is known as the Iron Bowl because of that location. 

At the turn of the 20th century when the rivalry was first evolving, Birmingham was one of the leading cities in the United States for industrial production, including products like pig iron, coal, and steel. The moniker is credited to Ralph “Shug” Jordan, who made a reference to the Iron Bowl in 1964.

One of the reasons the rivalry persists with its current intensity is that the two teams are very evenly matched and have remained that way throughout the years. They are both part of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Between the two teams, there are dozens of SEC titles, and both rank as top 20 schools in Division 1’s 133 team. They also have significant broadcasting deals and agreements, which allow fans all across the country to tune in to see their favorite teams play.

Alabama vs. Auburn Top Games Played

These teams have met 87 times on the field, and Alabama currently leads the rivalry with 49 wins. Alabama pulls ahead in a few other ways, as well, with the largest victory, 55-0 in 1948, and the longest winning streak, nine games from 1973 to 1981. They also hold the current winning streak of three games from 2020 to today.

The first game the two teams played was in 1983, which saw Auburn winning 32 to 22. The most recent game was in 2022, with Alabama winning 49 to 27. 

There have been other notable games between the two in the years since, like when the rivalry was resumed after a 41-year hiatus in 1948 when the first Iron Bowl was broadcasted on television in 1964 — the same year it was referred to as an “Iron Bowl.” The highest-scoring Iron Bowl ever was yet another Alabama win of 55-44 in 2014.

The two teams have also faced off in four different places over the many years of their rivalry, starting with Legion Field. In addition to Birmingham, they’ve played four games in Montgomery and have been switching off between the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, where they played on odd-numbered years, and the Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, where games are played in even-numbered years. 

Capacity for the two stadiums has been expanded over the years to accommodate both team’s growing fan bases, and Auburn’s Football Stadium can currently seat over 87,000 visitors. Alabama’s Football Stadium can seat over 100,000 attendees and is currently the fourth-largest stadium in the SEC, the eighth-largest in America, and the tenth-largest sports stadium in the entire world. 

Alabama vs. Auburn Upcoming Games

With all this history and excitement surrounding the two teams from Alabama, it’s little wonder why fans are getting excited about the game coming up this fall. There are several predictions about how the game is going to go down, but one of the top expectations is that this is going to be one of the loudest sporting events in history. After all, fans have a lot to say when it comes to their AL favorites.

The 2023 Iron Bowl will be hosted at the Jordan-Hale Stadium in Auburn. The coach for the University of Alabama is Nicholas Lou Saban Jr., who has been the coach since 2007, and who previously coached three other college football teams, as well as the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He has led them to prior championships and victories and was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame ten years ago.

The coach for the Auburn Tigers is Hugh Freeze, who is the 31^st head coach in the history of the team. He was hired in November of 2022 with a six-year contract, and his history of coaching at other colleges will be put to the test when he takes the team to the field in the 2023 Iron Bowl.

One of the reasons the 2023 Iron Bowl will be so interesting is due to another rivalry of sorts. Because while this is the first time Hugh Freeze is coaching in the great Alabama fight, it’s not the first time he has gone up against Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. In fact, Freeze has actually beaten Saban twice when he was head coach for the Ole Miss Rebels of the University of Mississippi. 

Fans are no doubt eager to see how he holds up in the same position for a different team and whether the same capability, decisiveness, and strategy will be at play in the final showdown of the year.

This is all coming on the heels of last year’s 2022 Iron Bowl, which featured four overtimes. With the teams jockeying for dominance for over 100 years, there’s much riding on the 2023 Iron Bowl — and we never know what might happen next. 

Find College Football Tickets With TickPick

There’s nothing more exciting than supporting your favorite football team or football players and cheering them on to victories as they beat rivals throughout the season. 

There have been some impressive college football rivalries from the start of football, like Army versus Navy, Michigan State versus Ohio State, and Harvard versus Yale. However, in the history of the game, few rivalries stand out as more divisive, long-lasting, or influential than that of Alabama and Auburn. 

As the 2023 Iron Bowl approaches, it’s exciting to look to the past at what has come between these two teams before, and to the future, with what we can expect from the next great head-to-head. Even the coaches square off this year, with previous victories to yield and defeats to overcome.TickPick has your college football tickets covered — and access to the best seats in the house. Learn how you can save on tickets to your favorite college football games, like Auburn versus Alabama, with TickPick, and start planning the next Iron Bowl watch day celebration.