TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It wasn’t pretty, but nothing about this Alabama season was. In the 89th edition of the Iron Bowl, Alabama edged Auburn with a 28-14 victory that kept critics of the shaky Kalen DeBoer regime at bay and dimmed hopes of a spot in the College Football Playoff held life.

To reduce a rivalry game to the question of how it will impact the College Football Playoff, as the announcers did at Friday night’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game, is to completely miss the point of a rivalry game. Alabama and Auburn have been battling for more than a century, and no newly created playoff structure will dampen the rage, anger and loathing that animates this perfect rivalry.

Whatever happens to the CFP selection committee, it happens. The Iron Bowl is about far more provincial concerns – like who gets to brag in offices, grocery stores, churches, barbecue restaurants and golf courses in the state of Alabama next year.

Nevertheless, playoff possibilities were actually at stake on Saturday – weak, but still possible. When South Carolina beat Clemson just before kickoff, Alabama effectively moved into the “first team left out” spot in the playoff round, meaning a loss by a higher seed might have opened the door for the Tide .

Auburn, meanwhile, was fighting for bowl eligibility and self-respect after a season that didn’t even reach “disappointing” status. Pride was on the line for the Tigers, and pride can go a long way in a rivalry game.

Alabama had to make a statement to the CFP selection committee, and in the first half the Tide made the exact same statement they had made all season: one drive it roared, the next it burped. Alabama committed three turnovers in the first half – two fumbles and an overthrow that turned into an interception – while also scoring two touchdowns from Jalen Milroe.

The Tigers were able to move the ball at will between the 20 – a throwback to Alabama’s difficulty stopping the run last week against Oklahoma – but Auburn managed just two field goals in the first half and the halftime score was 14-6.

Alabama scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter, both on rushes, one by Justice Haynes and a third by Milroe. Even though the game appeared to be firmly under control at 28-6, Alabama and Auburn continued to fight, resulting in a brief rout on the sideline:

Late in the third quarter, Auburn showed the faintest hint of what could have been this season when quarterback Payton Thorne led the Tigers with a 10-play, 87-yard drive that culminated in a clean 29-yard touchdown to Cam Coleman . Milroe, continuing his season-long inconsistent play, fumbled, giving Auburn a chance to get within one possession. But a lofted pass from Jarquez Hunter on a trick play was intercepted by the Alabama 4, and the Tide were able to play out the rest of the game.

Milroe finished the game with 256 passing yards and 104 rushing yards, including three touchdowns on the ground, one interception and two lost fumbles. As a team, Alabama turned the ball over four times, but Auburn was only able to convert those turnovers into two field goals. Germie Bernard led Alabama with 111 yards rushing, while Jam Miller scored 28 carries on the night.

Thorne, meanwhile, finished the game with 301 passing yards and 42 yards on the ground, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Auburn’s KeAndre Lambert-Smith led all receivers with 116 yards. But Auburn went just 4 of 12 on third-down conversions, significantly less than Alabama’s 12 of 18.

Auburn and Freeze now face some serious and difficult questions. This season marked a step backwards for the Tigers – last year, a six-win Auburn team reached the Music City Bowl – and Freeze was hired in part because of his success in wins against Alabama. He is now 0-2 in Iron Bowls and called the season “humiliating” and “frustrating.” Auburn has now lost the last five Iron Bowls.

“We have a top-10 (recruiting) class and hopefully we can get another one next week,” Freeze said after the game. “We have to go back and try to finish it and then enter the portal to make sure we don’t feel like this next year.”

After the game, DeBoer offered a little lobbying for the Tide to get a CFP spot, noting that “everyone knows our schedule…we beat four top-25 teams all year, and I don’t know, how many.” , if anyone did that. He added that Alabama has won five of its last six games and, like many SEC defenders, pointed out that the conference’s rigorous, week-by-week schedule is a plus for the Tide.

For now, all Alabama can do is wait. Thanks to Miami’s loss, the door is now a little wider open than before, but there’s still a long way to go – and a lot of committee discussion – before Alabama can secure even a low CFP spot.

When asked if the Tide were a playoff team, Milroe took a diplomatic route. “I think we are a team that will enjoy this win,” he said. “It’s not up to us to decide what our future looks like.”