Ahead of the Iron Bowl, our Christian Clemente chatted with Tony Tsoukalas of BamaInsider.com. Dive in for his assessment of the Iron Bowl and how he sees things shaking out Saturday in Bryant-Denny.

CC: Alabama is No. 1 in the country and there aren't many holes or issues on the roster, are there any weak points you've seen that Auburn should attack?

TT: Alabama’s defense has been susceptible to pre-snap shifts and motions. It’s what allowed Kentucky to keep things close during the first quarter last week. I think if Auburn is able to provide a few unconventional looks, it could confuse Alabama’s defense early.

As for the other side of the ball, Mac Jones seemed to force a few throws last week. While he’s been excellent about shaking off mistakes this season, an early turnover or two could get in his head a little bit considering what happened last game.

CC: Offensively, Mac Jones is a Heisman candidate and has been rolling. What's been the biggest change in his performance from last year's Iron Bowl to now?

TT: To be honest, last year’s Iron Bowl is when I first started believing in Jones as an elite quarterback. Sure, he threw two costly interceptions, but he was able to bounce back against a really good Auburn defense in a hostile environment.

As I mentioned above, Jones has been pretty resilient following his rare mistakes this season. I think when you’re breaking down where he got better from last season’s game you’d point to his improved accuracy. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes in last year’s Iron Bowl. He’s currently No. 2 in the nation with a 77.1 completion percentage this year.

CC: Outside of the star players, who's an X-Factor player or two on offense that Auburn fans should look out for?

TT: Alabama has primarily relied on its usual cast on offense this season. However, last week it finally dipped into its depth a little bit.

With starting tight end Miller Forristall held out for precautionary reasons, sophomore Jahleel Billingsley recorded a career-high three receptions for 78 yards. Billingsley, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, is the Tide’s best pass-catching option at tight end and could add another element to an already explosive offense. Forristall will likely be available Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how Alabama uses Billingsley.

I’ve been high on freshman receiver Javon Baker for a while, but he’s yet to record a reception. Still, with Slade Bolden battling an ankle injury, Baker might finally prove me right.

CC: Defensively, what does this Crimson Tide team excel at?

TT: This is not a typical elite Alabama defense, but to be honest, those are rare in college football these days. On one hand, the Tide appears to have turned the corner from its early-season woes. On the other hand, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky are hardly a good litmus test for improvement.

Alabama is solid at stopping the run and has seen its secondary begin to gel a bit more lately. The Tide is also riding a streak of three straight games with a non-offensive touchdown.

CC: Who are some Alabama defensive players to keep an eye on during the game?

TT: Malachi Moore is the first freshman to man the Star (slot corner) position at Alabama since Minkah Fitzpatrick did so in 2015. The Trussville, Ala. native is tied for the team lead in pass deflections (6) and interceptions (2) and had a 28-yard strip-and-score touchdown against Tennessee.

Speaking of freshmen, Will Anderson Jr. is continuing to develop into one of the best pass rushers in the conference. While the 6-foot-4, 235-pound outside linebacker has yet to record a sack this season, he leads Alabama with 28 pressures.

CC: Does Nick Saban getting COVID and being ruled out of the game change your expectations at all?

TT: It certainly adds a distraction. Alabama is fortunate in that it has a former college head coach in Steve Sarkisian as its offensive coordinator. He should be more than capable of handling head coaching duties such as calling timeouts or making fourth-down decisions in addition to calling the offense. However, Saban's presence will still be missed on the sideline. Not since 2006 has Alabama entered a game without the head coach. Will Tide rally behind Saban or falter a bit in his absence?

If this was a game against a lesser opponent, I'd say it would be a big deal. Although in a high-stakes game such as the Iron Bowl it could get interesting.

CC: Game prediction? Who wins and why?

TT: I fully expect to get roasted on The Bunker, but hey, that was probably going to happen regardless. This isn’t a bad Auburn team, but I just don’t see Bo Nix being able to move the ball well enough to keep up with Alabama’s high-powered offense. Under Saban, Alabama is outscoring Auburn by an average of 24 points during Iron Bowls in Tuscaloosa and 26.5 points when the Tigers won the previous year. I’m going with a boring 38-14 win for Alabama.

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