SEC Football: What would’ve happened if Alabama won the 2013 Iron Bowl?
By Matt Melton
How would’ve Alabama winning the 2013 Iron Bowl affected Auburn?
What would’ve likely happened to Auburn if the Tigers had lost the 2013 Iron Bowl? Well for one, the Kick Six would’ve obviously never happened, meaning that one of the top moments in Auburn and college football history would be gone.
As for what would’ve actually happened to the Tigers if they lost the 2013 Iron Bowl, Auburn would have fallen to 10-2 on the season, and missed the 2013 SEC Championship Game. Ranked No. 4 at the time of the game, a close loss to the then top-ranked Crimson Tide may not have dropped Auburn that far down the Top 25, meaning that the Tigers would’ve still likely been ranked in the 5-7 range.
As for the potential bowl game the Tigers would’ve played, Missouri (who finished the season 10-2 after losing to Auburn in the 2013 SEC Championship Game) would be ranked No. 8 after losing to Auburn, and would go-on to play No. 13 Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl where they defeated the Cowboys 41-31. The Tigers would’ve likely been favored in the Cotton Bowl should they have made that game, or possibly in the Sugar Bowl, along with almost any other matchup they would’ve been placed in.
The 2013 Iron Bowl also marked the first for then new Auburn head coach Gus Malzhan, who would hold a combined 3-5 record vs the Crimson Tide from 2013-20, with all three wins coming inside Jordan-Hare Stadium (2013, 2017, 2019). Should the Crimson Tide have beaten the Tigers in 2013, it would’ve meant an 0-4 start to Malzhan’s tenure on the Plains against Alabama, as well as it would’ve been a six-game losing streak for Auburn against their rivals from 2011-16, matching the Alabama losing streak from 2002-07.
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Yes, there is obviously no way to go back and change the result of the 2013 Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. A game that created some all-time SEC Football memorable moments, there is however no denying the impact that the result had on both the Crimson Tide and Tigers not only that season, but in the years after.