Why this year's Iron Bowl could be the best in recent memory

There isn't anything in sports quite like the anticipation of two historic powerhouses writing the latest chapter in a storied rivalry, and that anticipation has come to a boiling point in the state of Alabama.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the Iron Bowl.

Saturday's game will be the 82nd time Alabama and Auburn battle on the gridiron - a feud dating back to 1893. The two programs have produced some remarkable moments together, most recently the infamous kick-6 in 2013 that gave college football a highlight-reel play for the ages. A 24-point deficit erased by Auburn in 2010 and dramatic last-minute victories by Alabama in 2009 and Auburn in 1997 have added an anything-can-happen mystique to the matchup, but 2017's version carries a weight that few Iron Bowls have held.

All the marbles are on the line at Jordan-Hare Stadium: Rivalry bragging rights, a trip to the SEC Championship, a better spot in line for the College Football Playoff, and maybe, just maybe, a shift in momentum heading into next season and beyond.

An Alabama win would almost certainly garner it a College Football Playoff selection down the road, but an Auburn win would bring about a sense of chaos that would leave even the most confident CFP analyst guessing.

Will the committee overlook the SEC's representative out of the east if Alabama falls to Auburn, much like how Ohio State earned a spot last year? Is there any possibility Auburn wins and doesn't get in? Does Alabama's strength of schedule hold up with a loss prior to the SEC championship?

History shows how valuable a win on Saturday will be for either team. The Iron Bowl winner was selected for the now-retired BCS National Championship game five consecutive seasons from 2009-13, and that streak has continued the past three seasons with the existing playoff format.

Both programs are firing on all cylinders. Alabama has a recent track record of dominance, while Auburn is riding a rocket of momentum, looking to peak at the right time.

Alabama may be on a three-year winning streak and boast wins in seven of the teams' last nine encounters, but this year's Auburn squad isn't quite like its predecessors.

The Tigers have their most capable quarterback in years in Jarrett Stidham, who's paired with one of the country's most underrated running backs in Kerryon Johnson. Stidham is the program's most dangerous threat at the position since Cam Newton, who worked out pretty well for Auburn in 2010.

He'll face an Alabama defense that has fueled its reputation as one of college's best by doing exactly what it's supposed to: hold a largely average crop of opponents to few or no points while Jalen Hurts and the offense surgically remove the brain, heart, and soul one drive at a time.

Not all of Alabama's opponents have gone down without a fight, though. Mississippi State nearly sent it packing two weeks ago, while LSU and Texas A&M made the Tide earn victories as well. Auburn's only conference defeat came at the hands of LSU, but its outings against Mississippi State and Texas A&M offer an interesting perspective.

The Crimson Tide knocked off the Bulldogs by seven points and the Aggies by eight, while the Tigers took care of both opponents by 39 and 15 points, respectively. There could be several reasons for the different outcomes, but they do prove one thing:

The balance of power is more even than many think.