Magic Eight Ball predicts 8 to 9-point Alabama victory in 2014 Iron Bowl

It’s been a while since I’ve pulled out my trusty, old “Magic Eight Ball,” so I figured since this week is Iron Bowl week, now would be a good time to dust it off to see how it felt about the annual Alabama-Auburn game. Here’s what the “Magic Eight Ball” had to say about this year’s game.

Q: Will Alabama beat Auburn Saturday in Tuscaloosa?

A: Reply hazy, try again.

Q: Will Alabama’s home field advantage make a difference in the game?

A: My sources say no.

Q: Will the crowd be a deciding factor in the game?

A: Ask again later.

Q: Will the fact that the game is a night game make a difference?

A: Reply hazy, try again.

Q: (For the second time) Will Alabama beat Auburn Saturday in Tuscaloosa?

A: It is decidedly so.

Q: Will Alabama, a 9-1/2 point favorite, cover the point spread?

A: Don’t count on it.

Q: Will the game be decided by a touchdown or less?

A: My reply is no.

Q: So Alabama will win by eight or nine points?

A: It is decidedly so.

Q: (For the second time.) Will the fact that the game is a night game make a difference?

A: Concentrate and ask again.

Q: (For the third time.) Will the fact that the game is a night game make a difference?

A: Ask again later.

Q: (For the fourth time.) Will the fact that the game is a night game make a difference?

A: Most likely.

Q: Should readers of The Courant take these questions and responses seriously?

A: Outlook not so good.

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The thirteenth week of our local ESPN College Football Pick ‘Em contest is in the books, and the standings after the dust settled Saturday night showed that Glennis Curry remained in the No. 1 spot for the eighth straight week.

Mike Dailey jumped from third place to second place, and two contestants were tied for the third place spot. Steve Stacey dropped from second place to third place, and Sharon Peacock jumped from sixth place to third place.

Ricky Taylor dropped from third place to fifth place, and Mark Peacock dropped from fifth place to sixth place. Rod Sims dropped from sixth place to seventh place, and Ricky Powell went from ninth place to eight place.

Arthur Ingram III and Jeremy Matheny were tied for ninth place. Last week, Ingram was in tenth place, and Matheny was in eighth place. Joan Stetz was in 11th place this week.

The contest is down to the short rows this week as this coming Saturday represents the final week of the contest. However, if you’ve been playing, don’t give up. With all the rivalry games on the table this week, almost anything can happen and the final contest standings will probably reflect this.

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In the SEC this week, there are five head-to-head games between conference opponents on Saturday and four other games involving SEC schools.

For what it’s worth, here’s how I see each of those games playing out. I like Alabama over Auburn, LSU over Texas A&M, Arkansas over Missouri, Mississippi State over Ole Miss, Tennessee over Vanderbilt, Clemson over South Carolina, Georgia over Georgia Tech, Florida State over Florida and Louisville over Kentucky.

Last week: 6-2. So far this season: 79-24.