Nick Saban, Alabama looking to define team's legacy in Iron Bowl

It’s rivalry week in college football, which means the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn will once again be on center stage as the 2022 regular season draws to a close.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban discussed the importance of these rivalry games, and what the can do for the program and fanbase – even in a year where Alabama has been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.

“This is one of the greatest rivalry games in college football,” Saban said Monday. “Most every team in rivalry games, it’s part of their legacy in terms of how did they do in the rivalry game. And this is one of the biggest ones, and it means a lot to a lot of people in our state. It means a lot to us, our players and our fans, and we’re going to do the best job we can to get ready for this game.”

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For Auburn, the Tigers (5-6) have an opportunity to clinch bowl eligibility in the sweetest way possible – handing the Tide their third regular season loss under Saban for the first time since his first season as Alabama headman in 2007.

What that means for the Alabama dynasty is up for debate, but all the Tide can do is play who’s in front of them. It just so happens this Auburn team might provide a hurdle bigger than originally expected during the topsy-turvy season they had before firing former head coach Bryan Harsin.

Former star running back Cadillac Williams, who served as the running backs coach before Harsin’s firing, is serving as interim head coach – and he has pumped this Tigers program with a boost of confidence since taking over. That fact isn’t lost on Saban, who praised Williams for the job he’s been able to do in the face of adversity.

“He’s done a great job — the energy, the enthusiasm, the way the guys are competing and playing, the way they play to win. And that was his personality as a player,” Saban said. “I remember when I was the coach at the Miami Dolphins, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac were both coming out the same time in the same draft, and we thought they were both great competitors. He certainly was a great competitor. And I think his personality shows in the way his team competes.”

The respect is surely mutual, but both coaches badly need this victory for their team’s respective resumes. For Auburn, its season is on the line, while this Alabama team could go down as one of the poorest performing in Saban’s tenure with a loss.

As we’ve seen before, anything can happen in the Iron Bowl, and Saturday’s season finale is anyone’s to lose. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET live from Bryant-Denny Stadium on CBS.