Auburn vs. Alabama: Preview, Updated Odds and Prediction for 2014 Iron Bowl

The Auburn Tigers will travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday in the 2014 Iron Bowl. This game went down in history—or infamy, for Alabama fans—last year, producing one of the most memorable conclusions to any game in recent memory.

Auburn's Chris Davis' 108-yard return of a missed field goal to defeat Alabama in regulation is still fresh in the minds of many Crimson Tide players. Safety Landon Collins shared his thoughts with Michael Casagrande of AL.com: "Definitely looking forward to playing those guys again. We have a little chip on our shoulder against them. But we'll definitely be ready to face them when the time comes."

Will Collins and his teammates find redemption this time around? Based on the way Alabama has been playing of late, that certainly appears to be the case. However, that was a common thought last year as well.

Before this highly anticipated game kicks off, let's take a look at the updated odds and predict the outcome of this pivotal SEC clash.

Viewing Information

When: Saturday, November 29

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Time: 7:45 p.m. ET

Channel: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Game Line (via Odds Shark): Alabama -9.5

Preview and Prediction

Once again, Alabama enters this contest ranked first in the nation (according to the latest College Football Playoff poll), and Auburn will be looking to play the role of spoiler.

One big difference the Crimson Tide bring to the table is quarterback Blake Sims. He isn't known for lighting up scoreboards, but he's extremely efficient and takes care of the football, throwing just four interceptions on the year.

That efficiency has allowed Sims to flourish this season, as Jim Dunaway of WIAT-42 Birmingham noted the quarterback is nearing some school records:

"

Alabama QB Blake Sims needs 388 passing and 87 total offensive yrds to break Alabama single season records (Per @Andrew_Gribble Browns Beat)

— Jim Dunaway (@jimdunaway) November 23, 2014"

With a quarterback very capable of protecting the ball, Alabama is able to unleash a fantastic two-headed monster out of its backfield. T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry have put on a show this season, each averaging at least 5.0 yards per carry and combining for 1,440 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

This well-balanced offense is capable of methodically moving the ball down the field, keeping the clock running and the team's defense fresh, but with the highly talented Amari Cooper at wide receiver, Alabama is more than capable of producing a big play at any given moment.

Despite going down with an apparent knee injury in Week 13, head coach Nick Saban told media Cooper is just fine and ready for Saturday, via Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News:

With a defense ranked second in average points against (14.5), fifth in total yards per game (283.5), second in rushing yards per game (85.3) and 27th in passing yards per game (198.2), you can make a strong argument that Alabama is the nation's most complete team.

Auburn still has quite a dynamic running game this season despite losing ball-carrier Tre Mason to the NFL. Nick Marshall has evolved as a passer and is more of a dual-threat quarterback than he was in 2013. He's completed 59.6 percent of his passes this season, throwing 15 touchdowns against six interceptions.

The quarterback will get one of his trusty weapons back for Saturday's game, as Rotoworld NFL Draft tweeted D'haquille Williams is slated to return to action:

However, the signal-caller's bread and butter is on the ground. Marshall is averaging 5.5 yards per rush, gaining 731 yards and scoring 11 times through 11 games. He's complemented very nicely by running back Cameron Artis-Payne, who is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, gaining 1,405 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The efforts of those two players are why the Tigers own the ninth-ranked rushing offense heading into Week 14. If anything can give Alabama's stout defense a tough time, it's the versatility of Auburn's ground attack.

While Auburn can rack up yards and score points, its defense must step up in a big way against the Crimson Tide. Before holding Samford to just seven points in Week 13, the Tigers gave up 31 points or more in their previous five games, going 2-3 in that span. What's even more troubling is that two of those five teams—South Carolina and Texas A&M—weren't even ranked.

Alabama's offense hasn't exactly been consistent throughout the season, but it's been good enough to win close games, going 3-1 in contests decided by one score. That mark will move to 4-1 Saturday, as the Crimson Tide notch a victory in a close one.

Prediction: Alabama 27, Auburn 23