Iron Bowl: Why Alabama Is in Good Shape to Whoop Auburn Again Next Year

This year's Iron Bowl is in the books and unlike a season ago, this time there was no big Auburn comeback.

Overall, it's been Auburn who's had the greater success in the series, winning seven of the past ten Iron Bowls, but the butt-kicking they got today could happen again next season, and possibly the next couple of seasons.

In fact, the Crimson Tide could be set up to start a mini-streak of their own.

Cam Newton won't be suiting up anytime soon for the Tigers, so the talent advantage for the immediate time being lies with Alabama.

Auburn has some good young talent and they were a very young team this year. They will only be better next season, but so will the Tide—especially on defense—which dominated the Tigers this season.

While it's true that the likes of Mark Barron and Courtney Upshaw won't be around next season, much of the 2011 dominating defense will be back.

Depending on who leaves early for the 2012 NFL Draft, there is nothing saying that next season's Alabama defense won't be just as good.

Offensively, A.J. McCarron will be entering his second season as a starter, so chances are that he will be even better. Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson likely will forgo his senior season, but if he doesn't, next year's Crimson Tide team will be just as loaded.

While Gene Chizik has Auburn in a very good spot and could potentially contend for a championship during certain seasons, Nick Saban has the Crimson Tide in a position where if they don't win a championship, the year seems like a failure.

Auburn may be a much better team in 2012, but they may still have a ways to go to contend with the Crimson Tide.