NO. 2 ALABAMA 26, AUBURN 21 Alabama Squeaks Past Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- No. 2 Alabama found its championship form in the nick of time. Outplayed most of the game, the Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten with a 26-21 victory Friday over Auburn, taking the lead with a nearly perfect drive that was capped by Greg McElroy's 4-yard touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch with 1:24 left. Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) to complete a second straight perfect regular season, but did it the hard way against its bitter rival. The Tide fell behind in the opening minutes, but came out ahead to do its part to set up 1 vs. 2 showdown with top-ranked Florida in the SEC championship game. But forget the national and league championship, the state title almost slipped away. Auburn (7-5, 3-5) pushed the ball to the Alabama 37 on the final drive, but Chris Todd's pass to the end zone was batted down by the Tide defense.oth No. 3 Texas and No. 2 Alabama remained on track for a possible appearance in the Bowl Championship Series title game with uninspired victories this week. The Longhorns needed a Heisman-worthy performance from Colt McCoy to escape College Station with a 49-39 victory over unranked Texas A&M on Thursday night. The Crimson Tide were trailing late against its fierce rival, Auburn, before coming back for a 26-21 win Friday. The less-than-impressive victories have some questioning why the Longhorns and the Tide (or its SEC counterpart, Florida) seem predetermined to make the B.C.S. title game, especially when there are undefeated teams like Cincinnati, Texas Christian and Boise State. CONTINUE READING...