Alabama may be the number 1 ranked team in the country, but you know the cliche: You can throw out the records in the Iron Bowl.

Well, we don’t know if that is really true since often the best team wins but we do know the Iron Bowl 2016 Alabama vs. Auburn will be smashmouth football. What day and time is the Iron Bowl 2016 Alabama vs. Auburn? No, it’s not on Thanksgiving. You will have to wait until Saturday.

No. 16 Auburn (8-3, 5-2 SEC, No. 13 CFP) at No. 1 Alabama (11-0, 7-0, No. 1)

2:30 p.m. central

TV Channel: CBS

Line: Alabama by 17.

Series record: Alabama leads 44-35-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Alabama is a lock to make the playoffs for a third straight season with wins over Auburn and No. 13 Florida in the SEC championship game. Auburn’s season would be regarded much differently by fans with an Iron Bowl upset.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn pits the Southeastern Conference’s top rushing offense against the nation’s No. 1 run defense. The Tigers are averaging 297.8 yards on the ground with a league-best 32 rushing touchdowns. Alabama opponents are managing just 68.9 yards on the ground per game with three touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Auburn: RB Kamryn Pettway returns after missing the past two games with a left leg injury. The 6-foot, 240-pounder is a bruiser who was leading the SEC in rushing before his injury, gaining 1,106 yards.

Alabama: QB Jalen Hurts has already run for more yards in a season than any other Tide quarterback and has 19 TD passes. He’ll face a defensive front that is the strength of Auburn’s defense, led by DE Carl Lawson and DT Montravius Adams.

FACTS & FIGURES

Alabama has won six of the last eight meetings, with four of those seasons ending with a national championship. Auburn emerged in 2010 and 2013 to play for a national title. … The Tide’s 23-game winning streak is the longest in major college football, and they’ve come by an average of 25.1 points. … Tide coach Nick Saban is 41-5 in games when his team tops the rankings. No coach has won that many games while leading a No. 1 team. … Auburn is second nationally in red zone defense, behind Florida. … Auburn has held eight consecutive opponents without a rushing touchdown.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.