The lowly Lions and the Cowboys will probably be playing either before or after you read this because today is Turkey Day. Watching football on Thanksgiving has always been a tradition in my family.

In the past I would be at the beach and my parents and I would get ready to gobble down that turkey and watch some NFL action. It would always be the Lions and the Cowboys. Then the NFL Network came along and a third game was added to the docket.

But here in Troy and all around the rest of the state of Alabama this week is the preparation time for a different football game. The Iron Bowl will go down in Tuscaloosa Saturday and the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will clash again.

The No. 1 Tide look to end the six-year slide they are currently in against the Tigers and this just might be the year they snap the streak. But on the flip side, Auburn is looking to keep it going to No. 7. But the odds of that happening are dim.

I am going with the Tigers because I believe if they can bring back the passion they played with in the beginning of the season they will be a force to be reckoned with. And what better time to bring it back then the biggest game of the year, in the Iron Bowl. With a 5-6 season, a win in the Iron Bowl is what would save the Tigers from a losing season.

But Auburn will have to find a way to deal with the freshmen threats of Glen Coffee and Julio Jones if they want to shut down the Crimson Tide, not to mention Mt. Cody.

I am going to pick the Tigers 14-10, but I can see this game getting ugly the other way if the Auburn offense does what they have consistently done all year and the defense does what they have done the last half of the season.

This game is always an interesting one and it is one of those games you can never take records into consideration. The lesser of the two teams has ruined the other’s season before and the Tigers have six years on their side.

Auburn has never lost in Bryant-Denny Stadium, as they are 6-0 in the stadium since the team’s stopped playing at Legion Field in Birmingham.

The state’s biggest rivalry should be another good one.

Matt Nascone is the sports editor for The Messenger. He can be reached at 670-6315 or online at matt.nascone@troymessenger.com.