With the season on the line, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer made the biggest in-game coaching gamble of his career late in the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday night.
As the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl stood tied at 20-all, and staring at fourth-and-2 from the 6-yard line, DeBoer went for the jugular instead of settling for a potential go-ahead field goal. Ty Simpson hit Isaiah Horton for his third touchdown catch of the night to give the Crimson Tide a 27-20 lead over the Auburn Tigers.
Alabama safety Bray Hubbard forced Auburn receiver Cam Coleman to fumble at the Crimson Tide 20-yard line with 33 seconds to play to effectively preserve the victory; in true Iron Bowl fashion, the Tigers had one last chance at a score after forcing a punt with 18 seconds left.
Alabama kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive and clinched a berth in the SEC Championship Game, where it will take on the Georgia Bulldogs for the fifth time in the past 13 years. The Crimson Tide also won their sixth straight Iron Bowl vs. Auburn (5-7, 1-7). Alabama has won 12 of the past 15 Iron Bowl meetings dating back to 2011.
Here’s where Alabama sits in this week’s Coaches Poll after a thrilling Rivalry Week slate in Week 14 of the 2025 college football season.
Where is Alabama football ranked in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Iron Bowl win?
Alabama (10-2) is ranked No. 10 in the Week 15 US LBM Coaches Poll, the same spot as last week. Texas A&M‘s loss to Texas caused a reshuffle in the top 10. The Aggies dropped four spots to No. 7 after suffering their first loss of the season Friday night in Austin.
Alabama remains the third highest-ranked two-loss team behind No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide remain one spot ahead of No. 11 BYU.
Alabama football schedule 2025
Alabama will take on Georgia in the SEC Championship Game Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It’s a rematch of Week 5’s contest, a 24-21 Crimson Tide win at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
It is also the 16th time in program history that Alabama will play in the SEC’s title game, the most appearances all time by any team. The Crimson Tide are 11-4 in SEC title games, and they’ve won nine straight dating back to the 2009 win over Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators.
Kickoff for Alabama-Georgia is 3 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.
Georgia (11-1) defeated Georgia Tech, 16-9, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday. The Bulldogs moved up one spot to No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and have won eight straight games since their loss to Alabama on Sept. 27.
US LBM Coaches Poll rankings after Rivalry Week in college football
The full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll entering conference championship week are below.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 12-0 | 1575 | 63 | 1 | – | 1/2 |
| 2 | Indiana | 12-0 | 1510 | 0 | 2 | – | 2/21 |
| 3 | Georgia | 11-1 | 1438 | 0 | 4 | +1 | 3/10 |
| 4 | Oregon | 11-1 | 1353 | 0 | 5 | +1 | 2/9 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | 11-1 | 1306 | 0 | 6 | +1 | 4/15 |
| 6 | Texas Tech | 11-1 | 1266 | 0 | 7 | +1 | 6/24 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 11-1 | 1178 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 3/22 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 1106 | 0 | 8 | – | 6/NR |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 10-2 | 1061 | 0 | 9 | – | 5/21 |
| 10 | Alabama | 10-2 | 1019 | 0 | 10 | – | 4/20 |
| 11 | BYU | 11-1 | 942 | 0 | 11 | – | 8/NR |
| 12 | Vanderbilt | 10-2 | 855 | 0 | 12 | – | 11/NR |
| 13 | Miami (FL) | 10-2 | 844 | 0 | 13 | – | 2/18 |
| 14 | Texas | 9-3 | 753 | 0 | 16 | +2 | 1/19 |
| 15 | Utah | 10-2 | 750 | 0 | 14 | -1 | 14/NR |
| 16 | Virginia | 10-2 | 613 | 0 | 17 | +1 | 11/NR |
| 17 | USC | 9-3 | 505 | 0 | 20 | +3 | 16/NR |
| 18 | Michigan | 9-3 | 427 | 0 | 15 | -3 | 13/NR |
| 19 | James Madison | 11-1 | 356 | 0 | 21 | +2 | 19/NR |
| 20 | North Texas | 11-1 | 345 | 0 | 22 | +2 | 20/NR |
| 21 | Tulane | 10-2 | 300 | 0 | 23 | +2 | 21/NR |
| 22 | Arizona | 9-3 | 223 | 0 | NR | +9 | 22/NR |
| 23 | Georgia Tech | 9-3 | 170 | 0 | 19 | -4 | 7/NR |
| 24 | Tennessee | 8-4 | 135 | 0 | 18 | -6 | 11/24 |
| 25 | Navy | 9-2 | 107 | 0 | NR | +2 | 23/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Pittsburgh; No. 25 SMU;
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 85; Houston 73; Missouri 52; SMU 28; Washington 18; UNLV 17; Pittsburgh 15; South Florida 12; Illinois 9; Louisville 6; Connecticut 6; TCU 5; Penn State 5; Old Dominion 2; New Mexico 2; Arizona State 2; San Diego State 1;
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