There is no shortage of rivalry history between Auburn and Alabama, but this one still stands out. An exhibition meeting between the two programs is unusual on its own; doing it at Legacy Arena in Birmingham adds another layer, especially with a season already beginning to take shape for both sides.
Thursday night’s game in The Feud Presented by Shipt Same Day Delivery is scheduled for 7 p.m., and it is Auburn’s second of three exhibition games before the regular season. Alabama enters as the 20th-ranked team and this will be its third exhibition game of the preseason. Fans can follow along on 94.3 FM, extending the reach beyond the arena crowd for a matchup that will draw plenty of attention even without regular-season stakes.
What Auburn and Alabama Have Shown So Far
Before Thursday, Auburn opened preseason play with a loss to Florida State, but there were still notable individual performances. Tahaad Pettiford scored 20 points, while George Kimble III returned from injury and produced six points, six rebounds and six assists in his first game action in over a year. That gives Auburn at least some early evidence about both scoring and lineup balance as it continues to build toward Nov. 4, when it is scheduled to officially open the season at home against Southeastern Louisiana.
Alabama’s preseason has been more productive on the scoreboard. Before Thursday, it beat Furman 111-93 in its first exhibition game and followed that with a 92-84 win over Ole Miss. Those results do not decide anything by themselves, but they do suggest a team already settling into game rhythm before the games begin to count.
Why This Matchup Matters
The bigger point is that this is not just a novelty. It is an unprecedented exhibition matchup between Auburn and Alabama, and it could also be the first of at least three guaranteed contests between the programs. They could meet again in the SEC Tournament, and possibly beyond that in the postseason. In other words, Thursday is unusual, but it may not be the last time these teams see each other when the stakes get higher.
That is what makes the game interesting. Auburn is still searching for answers in preseason form, Alabama has already shown it can score efficiently, and both teams know this is only the start of a much longer season. The result will matter less than what the matchup reveals, but in a rivalry this strong, even an exhibition can offer a useful preview of where each team stands.
