Jon Solomon -- The Birmingham News

Count ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit among the pundits expecting Auburn to challenge Alabama for the SEC West title.

"I think the Iron Bowl on Nov. 26 is going old-school," Herbstreit said today on a media conference call. "I think it's going to decide the SEC West and who ultimately gets to Atlanta and plays in the SEC Championship Game. I think it's going to be exciting in the state of Alabama this year."

Since the SEC Championship Game started in 1992, the Iron Bowl has never been a winner-take-all game for the West. Auburn had a 3-5 SEC record last season. Only three teams have reached the SEC Championship Game one year after posting a losing league record: Arkansas 2006, Auburn 2000 and Arkansas 1995.

Also, Herbstreit said ESPN GameDay is likely coming to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama-Penn State game on Sept. 11. Herbstreit said he and Brent Musburger will be calling that game on ESPN. Ohio State-Miami and Florida State-Oklahoma are also held that day. An ESPN spokesman said Alabama-Penn State is one of several games being considered for GameDay.

Herbstreit said he believes Auburn will have a "great" year and "the sky is the limit" with new quarterback Cam Newton.

"The players around him I think are ready to have a good year," Herbstreit said. "I love their backfield. They finally have three guys who can be electrifying in that backfield. .... Are they going to get better on defense? The answer to me is yes. Gene Chizik is a defensive guy. The first year, they went through some growing pains."

The questions for Alabama are avoiding complacency and replacing 13 players on defense who all contributed for at least three years, Herbstreit said.

"Thirteen guys off one side of the football that puts an emphasis on rotating bodies -- and it's probably the most complex defense in the country -- and you lose 13 guys off that team?" Herbstreit said. "You can bring in all those five-star recruits, and they're great. But they don't have that experience."

Herbstreit said he has been interested seeing Nick Saban's post-practice messages on the Alabama All-Access shows on ESPN.

"What he's trying to do is be pro-active of the potential of the human nature side of things where you get complacent," Herbstreit said. "Any time you're the defending champion, people are going to place you on a pedestal. This team, Alabama 2010, even though they have some returning players, has nothing to do with 2009. ... Are they going to have that same desire? Are they going to have that same excitement? Is Nick Saban going to have to yell at them after every practice to motivate them?"

One more Herbstreit prediction: Oklahoma and Nebraska will meet in the Big 12 Championship Game and the winner will be in the BCS Championship Game.