It’s Iron Bowl week in Alabama, and it’s always the most anticipated day of the year in the state when the Alabama Crimson Tide face off against the Auburn Tigers.

This year’s edition will be held in Bryant-Denny Stadium, a place Auburn has not won since 2010 and a place where historically they have not fared well. But with it being the first Iron Bowl since the retirement of Nick Saban, it’s of note that since the game started being regularly held in Tuscaloosa instead of Birmingham in 2000, Alabama has never won at home without Nick Saban as the head coach (excluding 2020).

The Tigers claimed victory in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 and are looking to do just that again coming off the biggest win of the Hugh Freeze era last week.

Freeze’s team defeated the Texas A&M Aggies while Alabama was destroyed by the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, a result that likely ended their chances at reaching the College Football Playoff.

With no legitimate postseason implications on the line other than Auburn seeking bowl eligibility, the stakes have still never been higher for both coaches.

For Freeze, it’s a chance to erase all the pain of the last two years and put the Tigers on a trajectory for 2025 where there is legitimate excitement that they can begin to compete once again.

For Kalen DeBoer, the first season in Tuscaloosa has not gone how many teams had hoped. But the difference between finishing 9-3 and 8-4 with a loss at home to the most hated rival is immense. It’s not to say DeBoer is on any sort of hot seat should Alabama lose, but any good grace he will have from fans in his first season will be gone.

Winning championships is expected in Tuscaloosa, and if you can’t do that, you had better at least beat an Auburn team that has struggled throughout the season.

This is also a massive game for Jalen Milroe, who in all likelihood is starting his final game in Bryant-Denny. The Milroe era has been up and down with obviously extremely high highs and extremely low lows, but Milroe has a chance to be remembered in a positive light by Alabama fans if he can play well and help the Tide secure a win.

The same can be said about Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne in his final regular season college start after two years with the program. Thorne has thrown too many interceptions and lost too many games to ever be considered an Auburn great, but if he could help the Tigers make history in his final game, most fans would likely look back years from now with an overall positive impression.

While the stakes are technically low due to no playoff aspirations not on the line as they have been so many times throughout the last 20 years, they also have never been higher.

Legacies are made in this game, and they are going to be made – or broken – on Saturday afternoon.