Here's What Happened To The Game-Winning Ball From Auburn's Upset Of Alabama

Perhaps the most valuable football in Auburn's possession actually belongs to Alabama.

College football teams provide their own balls when their offense is on the field or attempting a field goal, so when Alabama attempted a game-winning kick on Saturday, the Tide was using one of its own balls. As you may have heard by now, the ball did not sail through the goal posts. Instead it fell into the hands of Auburn return man Chris Davis Jr., who took it back more than 100 yards for a touchdown.

Dana Marquez, Auburn's equipment manager, told Bloomberg that an Auburn ball boy managed to recover the piece of memorabilia amid the on-field celebration, and eventually it made its way to Tigers athletic director Jay Jacobs.

The ball technically belongs to Alabama, but the Tide's associate athletic director, Jeff Purinton, told Bloomberg that it's unlikely that anyone from his school would try to claim the ball.

The ball's value likely hinges on the Tigers' next two games. Brandon Steiner, founder of Steiner Sports Marketing, told Bloomberg that right now the ball's value is $50,000. But should Auburn go on to win the SEC title game and then a bowl game, the ball's price could skyrocket to $100,000.

And even that estimate might be conservative.

Alas, we'll most likely never know the true value of the ball because it seems highly unlikely that the athletic department would part ways with such an important piece of memorabilia.