The Iron Bowl of Podcasts The Montgomery Advertiser

Alabama and Auburn football both had wobbly performances in Week 2, but on massively different scales.



For Alabama, a narrow escape at Texas exposed flaws that bring into question whether the Crimson Tide is truly national championship-caliber in 2022. For Auburn, an anxious home win against San Jose State might have foreshadowed the endangerment of Bryan Harsin's future as coach.



Both teams are 2-0, but boy is it messier than that. (Or is it? Should the mantra that "a win is a win" be taken to heart in a week defined by shocking upsets?) USA TODAY Network Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly and Auburn beat writer Bennett Durando are here to discuss what it all means on The Iron Bowl of Podcasts.



On this episode, Nick and Bennett debate which fanbase should be more unnerved. They also try to make sense of Texas A&M's alarming start, which has ironic ties to both Auburn and Alabama between coaching feuds and transfer quarterbacks. Lastly: Where should Alabama and Auburn fall in an SEC power ranking after two weeks?

The Iron Bowl of Podcasts is a USA TODAY Network conversation show in which Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly and Auburn beat writer Bennett Durando debate and discuss the greatest rivalry in sports — because what else really matters to sports fans in the state of Alabama?

It generally takes a few weeks every season for the college football hierarchy to sort itself out. Who's actually good?



Until then, rankings can be a little messy, as these two rookie AP top 25 voters are learning.



On the newest episode of The Iron Bowl of Podcasts, USA TODAY Network Auburn beat writer Bennett Durando and Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly debate their developing ballot philosophies. How should the top three be ordered, with Alabama annihilating a paycheck opponent while Georgia and Ohio State convincingly defeated good teams? How costly should a bad Week 1 performance be?



And then there's the rest of the SEC: What to make of Texas A&M after a slow start or Florida after a fast one?



One team that does not come up in the rankings conversation yet: Auburn. The Tigers have their own quarterback questions to worry about for now. Nick and Bennett discuss what's next in Bryan Harsin's system and what to expect when Alabama takes on Texas this weekend.

After months of discussion, predictions and speculation, real football is almost here for Alabama and Auburn.



Neither team has a Power Five matchup in the first game of the season. Auburn faces Mercer at 6 p.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, Alabama will hold a game against Utah State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Both are at home.



Utah State is one of the better squads among Group of Five teams, but neither the Aggies nor the Bears are expected to give Alabama or Auburn, respectively, too much of a game.



So, how much can we take stock in what happens on Saturday? Auburn writer Bennett Durando and Alabama writer Nick Kelly discuss on this week's episode of the Iron Bowl of Podcasts.



The Iron Bowl of Podcasts is a USA TODAY Network conversation show in which Kelly and Durando debate and discuss the greatest rivalry in sports — because what else really matters to sports fans in the state of Alabama?

At last, preseason practice is in full swing throughout college football, and every Alabama resident's internal clock is counting down the minutes until the opening day – whether it be Alabama's or Auburn's.

The preseason brings a bounty of narratives, of course. USA TODAY Netwiuuuuuuuuork Auburn beat writer Bennett Durando and Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly are here to evaluate them. On this episode of The Iron Bowl of Podcasts, Bennett and Nick identify three narratives they've noticed from their first-hand presence at Auburn and Alabama practice.

Then they will confirm – or debunk – those narratives.

Who is really the favorite for Auburn's starting quarterback job? What should we make of Nick Saban's "rebuilding year" comments about the 2021 Crimson Tide? They'll discuss these questions and more.

When Bryan Harsin took the stage at 2022 SEC Media Days, he brought a surprising level of spice to the proceedings.

After calling out media who counted out Harsin this February, the second-year coach announced he was done addressing the internal inquiry that endangered his job status. Did he take the right approach? 

On this Auburn-centric episode of The Iron Bowl of Podcasts, the Montgomery Advertiser's Bennett Durando discusses that with USA TODAY Network SEC columnist Blake Toppmeyer, who's substituting for Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly. Then to the more important stuff: What about Auburn's on-field issues? It's finally close enough to the season to break down an important chunk of schedule, the five-game home stand that sets the tone for Auburn and for Harsin's future.

Is it plausible for the Tigers to win all five of those games? And would doing so automatically save Harsin, regardless of what follows?

The SEC spring meetings in June ended with a tentative timeline instead of a schedule.

As the debate surrounding 16-team expansion schedule models was shelved, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said movement could come in late summer or mid-fall.

Since then, conference realignment chaos has eclipsed all other topics in college sports. The Big Ten's additions of UCLA and USC were the first dominos in discussion of whether the SEC will grow beyond 16.

What if the league sticks with Oklahoma and Texas without further expansion, though? Late summer is arriving with SEC football media days (including a Sankey press conference) starting July 18. The holdup between an eight- and nine-game conference schedule model remains fascinating, especially when considered from the perspectives of rival schools such as Alabama and Auburn.

That's where Nick Kelly of the Tuscaloosa News and Bennett Durando of the Montgomery Advertiser come in. This week on the Iron Bowl of Podcasts, they debate which model is best – the 3-6 or the 1-7? – and why one might benefit specific schools more than others. Kelly and Durando also bounce around other media days topics for Alabama and Auburn.