No. 10 Alabama starts fast, hangs on to win chaotic Iron Bowl and keep CFP hopes alive

AUBURN, Ala. — It wasn’t pretty, and it required nothing less than a fourth-quarter exorcism, but Alabama finally shook free of Auburn to win the 2025 Iron Bowl, 27-20. After posting a 17-0 lead in the first half, Alabama allowed Auburn to climb back into the game, but finally managed to outlast the Tigers for a crucial victory. With their sixth consecutive win over Auburn, Alabama advances — barely — to the SEC championship, and from there, potentially to the College Football Playoff. But it took a massive effort in the most hostile of conditions.

The Crimson Tide got the game-winning touchdown on a gutsy fourth-down call as Alabama appeared to be mulling whether it should call a play or kick a field goal before QB Ty Simpson snapped it and hit Isaiah Horton for a 6-yard touchdown — Horton's third touchdown of the game.

Auburn had a chance for a rebuttal, but its drive ended when Cam Coleman fumbled the ball after a catch in Alabama territory.

The Iron Bowl’s history of unpredictability and chaos looms large every year; you never quite know when a routine game will metamorphosize into a Kick-Six or a Gravedigger. Both programs entered this year’s version with much at stake — for Alabama, a berth in the College Football Playoff; for Auburn, bowl eligibility … and a chance to knock Alabama out of the CFP, which would be sweeter than any bowl invitation.

Alabama entered the game at 9-2 but facing, in effect, the first of many potential elimination games. Not only that, but a second season of missing the 12-team CFP, after being a regular fixture in the four-team one, would turn a white-hot spotlight on Kalen DeBoer’s program. Nine wins are lovely for other programs, but nine wins aren’t even table stakes for Alabama.

Auburn, on the other hand, is a program for whom “disarray” would be a step up. The Tigers came into Saturday with a record of 5-6, just 1-6 in conference. Since August, they’ve shed one head coach and started three different quarterbacks, and rolled into Saturday night’s game largely cruising on “Hey, you never know” vibes and little else.

But vibes don’t stop the Alabama defense, and early on in the first half, Auburn looked overmatched and unprepared. The Tigers three-and-outed on four of their first five possessions, and didn’t even get a first down until the waning seconds of the first quarter. Quarterback Ashton Daniels flailed under pressure, Auburn’s receivers missed balls that hit them in the hands and the Tigers generally looked like an unserious team on their way to an early offseason.

Meanwhile, Alabama laid the foundations of what seemed like a rout. After a 45-yard field goal from the recently-wobbly Connor Talty, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson hit receiver Isaiah Horton for a pair of touchdowns, including this toe-tap beauty:

The second touchdown put Alabama up 17-0 and surely had Tide fans dreaming of an SEC championship berth, a CFP bid and maybe a whole lot more.

They should’ve known better. This is the Iron Bowl, after all.

Auburn closed out the first half by holding Alabama to two three-and-out drives while at the same time putting two field goals on the scoreboard. A second-quarter Auburn touchdown was called back when a receiver lined up a couple feet too far off the line, but the Tigers opened the second half with a massive course correction — a 65-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Malcolm Simmons. And just like that, Alabama’s gaudy 17-0 lead was a fragile 17-13 one.

After another Alabama field goal extended the lead back to 7 points, Auburn began the fourth quarter with another devastating Daniels-Simmons connection, this one for 66 yards. And just like that, the game was tied, and all the ghosts of Iron Bowls past came roaring back.

But when it got real, the Crimson Tide buckled down. Horton came through with a clutch third touchdown, Alabama's defense was able to strip Coleman of the ball and the Tide rolled to a dramatic Iron Bowl win.