Despite some increased worry that Alabama still hasn’t moved up in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Crimson Tide remains in control of its own destiny.

No. 8 Alabama's SEC Championship game against No. Georgia will mean a lot less to the Crimson Tide if it falls on the road in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide (10-1) face Auburn (6-5) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Given the nature of both teams’ seasons, Auburn is in a prime position to play spoiler. The Tigers have already secured bowl eligibility, but had a three-game winning streak snapped by Conference USA side New Mexico State last Saturday. On paper, the Tigers have little to play for besides a slightly better bowl game, but that just means a victory over Alabama that would almost certainly eliminate the Crimson Tide from CFP contention will be that much sweeter if Auburn can pull the upset.

The Crimson Tide however, enter the game in the best form its been in all season. If that form continues Alabama should be able to navigate an always-tricky road Iron Bowl matchup and ensure its still fighting for a playoff spot against the Bulldogs.

Here are some key numbers behind Saturday’s game:

The number of combined field goals and extra point tries Will Reichard has made against Auburn. Reichard has never missed against the Tigers and hit seven extra points against Auburn last season. As Reichard looks to stay perfect against Alabama's rival, he’s also still chasing the NCAA scoring title. Reichard needs just two points to move into second all-time and 10 points to pass former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds and become the all-time points leader. Reichard is averaging 8.6 points per game this season. He, along with every Alabama fan, will be hoping for a high-scoring afternoon, which could give him a chance to break the record before the Crimson Tide faces Georgia.

The passing yards total for Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne, which ranks No. 12 in the SEC, only above Texas A&M quarterback Max Johnson, who wasn’t even named as the Aggies starter to begin the season, and Vanderbilt’s quarterback duo of Ken Seals and AJ Swann. Thorne has also thrown 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season and hasn’t had over 200 passing yards since Auburn’s win over Mississippi State on Oct. 28. His mediocre play means Auburn has had to rely heavily on its rushing attack and doesn’t have an elite weapon at receiver for Throne to go to. When Thorne does find some success passing, it's mainly through Tigers tight end Rivaldo Fairweather, who leads Auburn in receiving yards with 349 and has six touchdowns this season.

Auburn’s average rushing yards per game this season. It’s clear that Alabama coach Nick Saban is expecting a slugfest to start Saturday’s contest. The Tigers have been excellent on the ground this season. Their loss to New Mexico State was the first time they were held to under 100 yards on the ground in 2023.

Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, it might not have to completely bottle up the Tigers' running game. Auburn has lost games where it's found success on the ground. The Tigers rushed for over 200 yards and two touchdowns in their loss to Georgia and had over 150 yards on the ground during their loss to Ole Miss. Given Throne’s inconsistencies, making Auburn one-dimensional might be enough for Alabama. If the Tigers do gash the Crimson Tide on the ground, however, they will do so through a familiar face for Alabama fans.

The amount of rushing yards Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter had against Alabama in the Iron Bowl last season. Hunter is the main force behind Auburn’s rushing attack in 2023 and will be looking for a bounce-back performance Saturday after he was held to just 27 yards on eight carries against New Mexico State. Before that game, Hunter ripped off three straight 100-plus rushing yard games for the Tigers. He ranks sixth in the SEC in rushing yards with 772, one spot above Alabama’s Jase McClellan, and averages nearly six yards per carry. Alabama shouldn't struggle limiting Thorne, but if the Auburn quarterback can find success on just one or two drives, Hunter can do the rest on the ground for the Tigers if Alabama fails to slow him down.

Auburn was held to just 45 offensive plays by New Mexico State. The Aggies dominated the time-of-possession statistic and used offense as its best defense last Saturday. Auburn had the ball for just over 21 minutes. New Mexico State prevented Hunter from getting going by simply keeping him off the field. Alabama has enough talent to overpower Auburn on Saturday regardless of how many possessions the Tigers have. However, Alabama should be able to win the possession battle comfortably against a much weaker opponent on paper. Keeping Auburn off of its own field sends a message not just to a rival fanbase, but to the CFP committee at a key point in the season.

The last time Alabama beat Auburn four times in a row. It was actually the final win of a nine-year streak before Auburn earned a 23-22 victory in 1982 in Birmingham.

Saturday’s contest is a big opportunity for the Crimson Tide’s seniors, who, no matter how their post-Alabama careers end up, have a chance to say that they never lost to Alabama’s archrival during their time in Tuscaloosa.

The Crimson Tide has won three straight games over the Tigers on two occasions since that 1981 season, once from 1990-92 before the Tigers won 22-14 in 1993.

The 1993 game was played at Jordan-Hare but wasn’t shown on TV because Auburn was serving a season-long ban from being on television due to NCAA violations. That resulted in nearly 50,000 Alabama fans piling into Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch a simulcast of the game on a '90s video board.

Auburn stopped another group of seniors from going 4-for-4 against the Tigers in 2017. Alabama racked up three straight victories from 2014-16 until Auburn, led by quarterback Jarrett Stidham, took down the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide 26-14 at Jordan-Hare.

A road Iron Bowl victory is sweet for Alabama no matter what Auburn's record is. In 2023, Alabama has another chance to let its seniors have permanent bragging rights over their rival, and shake off some Jordan-Hare voodoo seven years after the Tigers got the last laugh in 2017 and 30 years following Auburn's TV blackout win.