In this rivalry-filled, gravy-soaked week, you need relief from both calories and drama.

No worries in the game-gorging category. You might not have heard, but No. 1 Alabama can afford lose this week against Auburn.

Bama has been so dominant that it could suffer a defeat and remain in both the SEC Championship Game and -- most likely -- the College Football Playoff top four.

There's more suspense in a Will Ferrell movie as there is going into this year's Iron Bowl.

Alabama has separated itself not only from Auburn -- a 17.5-point underdog -- but also from the entire field. The Tide is going on 10 days now since they clinched the SEC West. That's how long we've known the implications of the Iron Bowl would be diminished.

All of it sacrilege, you say? Perhaps, but from the 35,000-foot view, Bama has done about all it can do. Short of losing each of these next two weeks, it deserves to play for a second straight national championship.

Nick Saban's crew has won 23 consecutive games by an average of 25 points. Part of the fallout: This year, the SEC became a top-heavy conference that ceded its best-in-the-country status to the Big Ten.

No SEC challenger has really stepped up to challenge the Tide in 2016. If Bama wins Saturday, it would win the West Division by three games. The last time that happened in the conference was 2009. (Yes, it was Alabama then, too.)

For now, go ahead and try to make a case for the Tigers. I dare you.

Yes, anything can happen in rivalry games, but Saturday seems to be a mere speed bump for Alabama before the SEC title game, which is a slightly bigger speed bump before the CFP.

What committee member is going to leave Bama out if it loses either of its final two games? The dominance has been to great that even the Iron Bowl is losing some of its sheen.

We give you, then, five reasons to watch ...

1. Saban could rest some of his key players, but won't. There's too much honor, tradition and history involved to besmirch the good name of the Iron Bowl.

But if Alabama is up four touchdowns early in the third quarter, is it equally insulting to be running Calvin Ridley on jet sweeps? This is a quality of mercy game.

2. Auburn's best chance to a win hinges on the health of the SEC's second-leading rusher. Kamryn Pettway was cruising in for an easy 60-yard touchdown run against Vanderbilt a couple of weeks ago when he fell awkwardly at the 10 yard line. He hasn't played since.

Early in the week, Pettway and his injured quadriceps were declared ready to go. "Anytime you have someone like that back, it changes things," Gus Malzahn said.

So there's that.

Did we say second-leading rusher? You won't find Pettway on an official lists this week because he has played in less than the 75 percent of Auburn's games needed to qualify for rushing stats. However, his 1,106 yards in only eight games are No. 2 in the SEC. His 138.25-yard average would lead the league.

3. The beginning of Jalen Hurts' Heisman Trophy run -- for 2017. While Alabama's quarterback could get a New York invitation this year, the future is wide open. Hurts already turns the corner better than any tailback. When he becomes more savvy reading defenses, he'll be even more dangerous.

But 30 total touchdowns as a true freshman ain't shabby.

4. Fastbreak for Atlanta starts in T-town. Consider that after Saturday, Alabamans can practically start paying state taxes in Georgia. Over the next 13 months, Bama has a chance to play five times in Atlanta.

  • Dec. 3 in the SEC Championship Game
  • Dec. 31 in a CFP semifinal (Peach Bowl)
  • Sept. 2, 2017 vs. Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
  • Dec. 2, 2017 in the SEC Championship Game
  • Jan. 8, 2018 in the CFP National Championship

5. You can tell your kids you saw Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster. This is important because Alabama has never had a national defensive player of the year. Ever. That's amazing considering the glorious defensive history of the program.

But Allen, a defensive lineman, and Foster, a linebacker, were both named last week as Nagurski Trophy finalists. Allen is one of the three finalists for the Bednarik Award. Both are national defensive player of the year awards.

Allen should win at least one of the honors and become a consensus All-American. There is even some Heisman buzz that started with this sick sack of Texas A&M's Trevor Knight.