Iron Bowl live stream: How to watch Auburn vs. Alabama online

No. 1 Alabama comes into the 2016 Iron Bowl with a death grip on first place in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Crimson Tide have been unstoppable all season, and are a constant at the top of the rankings while all the intrigue happens in spots two through six (or seven, or eight, or nine, or ...). Even if No. 13 Auburn can pull off the upset on Saturday, Alabama almost certainly won’t fall out of the top four, but it would at least turn the SEC Championship against Florida into a must-win.

The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, broadcast on CBS, and available for live streaming at CBSSports.com.

Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has been a revelation for Alabama this year. His performance has stabilized a questionable quarterback situation, which may be uncharitable considering how highly rated Alabama’s quarterbacks were as high school recruits, but no one was a proven commodity. Hurts is completing just under 65 percent of his passes this year, and has scored 30 total touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. The running game, as always, is powering Alabama’s offense. As opposed to years past where they had one player get the majority of the carries, it’s been more of a committee approach. Damien Harris leads the team with 831 yards, but Hurts, Joshua Jacobs, and Bo Scarborough have also seen plenty of action.

Even though Alabama’s offense is firing on all cylinders, the defense is still king for Nick Saban. They’re No. 2 in Defensive S&P+ and scoring defense (11.4 points per game allowed), and first in the nation in total defense, only allowing 3.95 yards per play. They’re the only team in the country allowing less than 4 yards per play. They may give up more big plays than they’ve allowed in years past, but make no mistake, this defense is great.

Auburn has been able to solve the Alabama defense, but this year is going to be a challenge. The Tigers started the season with head coach Gus Malzahn on the hot seat, but they’ve won seven of their last eight games after a 1-2 start. The rushing attack featuring Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson have paced the Tigers, but both of them are banged up heading into this game, as is quarterback Sean White. The Tigers do have one of the most disruptive defensive lines in all of college football, though, so if anyone can throw a wrench into Alabama’s game plan, it’s them. Carl Lawson and Montravious Adams are the two names to know on the defensive line.

How to watch the Iron Bowl, Auburn vs. Alabama

When: 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Allie LaForce

Online: CBSSports.com