The Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn could be a crucial game on Nov. 29 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Even though Auburn is all but done in its chances of competing in the college football playoff, Alabama’s hopes are still alive. If the Crimson Tide continue to win before the Iron Bowl, it could be the biggest SEC game of the season.
And it won’t be on CBS.
Photo: CBS broadcast of the 2013 matchup between Alabama and Auburn
When Alabama hosts No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday, the game will be broadcast by CBS which will mark the fifth time the network has broadcast a Tide game this season. Due to the high number of broadcasts, CBS has given up its rights to show any more Alabama regular season games this year. Therefore, when Alabama meets Auburn in what could be a huge matchup, they will do so under the lights on ESPN. Instead of a 3:30 ET start on CBS, the game will be played at 7:45 ET.
Here is an explanation provided by The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger:
“There are certain appearance limitations within the agreements the SEC has with its partners. CBS has exhausted the number of appearances for Alabama this season. The Tide’s games against Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and LSU were also on CBS, which has the first pick each week among SEC games.
This means CBS veteran Verne Lundquist, whose voice these days is almost as attached to Crimson Tide football as longtime radio host Eli Gold’s, will have to skip the big game in Tuscaloosa and instead head to Oxford, Miss., where the stakes might be just as high.”
Instead of broadcasting the Iron Bowl, CBS will broadcast the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS. It will be the first Egg Bowl to be broadcast on network television since 1964 and could have college playoff implications if the Bulldogs are still in the chase.
One would think that if CBS had it all to do over again, they would not have chosen to broadcast the Alabama vs. Florida game back on Sept. 30.