Iron Bowl 2011: Revenge Will Fuel Alabama Crimson Tide Past Auburn Tigers

Alabama watched as Auburn pulled off a 24-point comeback victory in last year's Iron Bowl en route to the national championship. The Crimson Tide and their fans will never forget that heartbreaking loss. They'll be seeking revenge on Saturday and that's one of the main reasons Alabama will prevail.

Heisman candidate Trent Richardson is one of several Alabama players who admits to thinking about that game during this season's buildup (via Associated Press).

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Signs reading “28-27. Never Again” found their way into the weight room and locker room not long after the ninth-ranked Tide blew the huge lead. If players need a little motivation lifting weights, they check the wall.

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“We played some of the best football we played, and they came all the way back on us,” Richardson said. “They went on to win the championship. You’ve got to have that in the back of your head.”

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Thanks to a weekend of chaos, Alabama regained the No. 2 ranking on Sunday. If the Tide have any hope of holding that spot until the BCS National Championship Game, a win over Auburn is paramount.

The Tigers have won seven of the last nine Iron Bowls and would love to destroy their rival's dreams. In order to make that happen, their defense must play better than it has in the team's other games against ranked opponents.

In those games, they have given up an average of 35 points.

That number makes Alabama's dynamic duo of Richardson and Eddie Lacy salivate. Between the pair's dominance and A.J. McCarron taking care of the ball when he's asked to throw, Alabama's offense has found good balance.

Coupled with the team's elite defense, it's hard to argue against them getting another shot at LSU. Unless, of course, you consider “it was a boring game” a valid argument.

But first, the Tide need to take care of Auburn with as much ease as possible. They must prove to voters how good they really are because they won't get another chance to play while other national title contenders have another game or two left, counting conference championships.

Even though a big win won't erase the memory of last season's collapse, revenge is the next best thing.