Auburn at Alabama
The 2014 edition of the Iron Bowl was supposed to be a play-in game for the SEC championship. Alabama is still up at No. 1 in the country, but Auburn kind of blew it for all of us by losing back-to-back games against Texas A&M and Georgia. But, with a victory and a few other dominos falling into place, the Tigers still have a shot to knock the Crimson Tide out of the inaugural College Football Playoff. Last year's meeting ended with Auburn Chris Davis catching a missed Alabama field goal and running more than 100 yards in the other direction to propel the Tigers into the national title game. But Davis is gone, and so are Auburn's chances of reaching that plateau this season. However, the Tiger offense led by quarterback Nick Marshall is arguably a better unit than that SEC champion squad from a year ago. Alabama is also led by a senior under center by the name of Blake Sims. In his first year as a starter, Sims is leading the SEC in yards per attempt and his only loss is a six-point slip up at Ole Miss. The narrative gets even more compelling now that Paul Finebaum's call-in show will run simultaneously with the game. Alabama has made statements like its 59-0 demolition of Texas A&M, and it has raised questions marks like its one-point escape against Arkansas. Which one of those Tide teams shows up Saturday will determine the outcome of this year's installment of arguably the best rivalry in sports.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
Long the laughing stock of the SEC, the two Mississippi schools went as far as Oct. 25 before either lost a game. Now, even after picking up some losses along the way, the Rebels and the Bulldogs will meet in the most relevant Egg Bowl in recent memory. Mississippi State spent the first three weeks of the playoff rankings' existence as the No. 1 team in the nation, but a loss to Alabama now has the Bulldogs struggling to keep their seat at the table. Fourth-ranked Mississippi State has one of the most bonafide Heisman candidates in the conference in quarterback Dak Prescott. The Rebels have their own dynamic signal caller in Bo Wallace, but he has a tendency to crumble in high-pressure situations. Ole Miss will be in a position similar to Auburn, left with no hopes of a playoff berth, but the opportunity to relegate the arch-rival to the same fate. If Mississippi State was indeed destined for a top-four spot at the end of the season, a loss Saturday will unequivocally keep the Bulldogs out.