The Auburn Tigers don’t know where they’ll be going or who they’ll be facing this bowl season, but they do know one thing for certain — they won’t be presented with a bigger stage the rest of the year than the one they’ll be on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Even if Auburn reaches a New Year’s Six bowl, the Iron Bowl would still be the biggest game left on its schedule. Unless the Tigers are contending for a national/SEC championship, the Iron Bowl will always be their biggest game. Considering how last year’s game ended and how much this year’s game can influence Alabama’s title chances, Saturday’s showdown will be no exception.

Nick Marshall will still have a game left in his brilliant two year career at Auburn following Saturday’s game, but don’t be mistaken. Saturday will serve as Marshall’s true grand finale as a collegiate.

The senior has no future at the quarterback position in the NFL, and his chances of catching on as an athlete somewhere in the league are slim in their own right. Even if Marshall does have a career in the pros he won’t be a star, and he certainly won’t be the starting quarterback of a team playing in the biggest game of the final week of the season.

Those are all circumstances that come with Marshall’s stardom at the college level, and it will all begin to wind down following this weekend’s game. Regular bowl games can be lost in the shuffle as the years go by; Iron Bowls are never forgotten. Saturday will be the last time Marshall ever leads an offense in a meaningful game fans will remember for years to come, and it will be the last time he has a chance to end someone’s national title run in front of millions of viewers.

The unquantifiable magic that carried Auburn to an SEC title last year seems to have run out this year, and three losses later the Tigers find themselves sitting below their preseason expectations.

That can change with a win Saturday.

Another year of bragging rights throughout Alabama means everything in that state, and Marshall will have the greatest influence of anyone in earning those bragging rights for a second year in a row. He’s Auburn’s biggest star and the leader of its explosive offense; he’ll be the man the Tigers look to when times are tight in Tuscaloosa.

Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee had some high praise for Marshall’s ability to raise his level of play in those very moments according to a recent report by the program’s media relations team.

When the tough moments or the pressure moments come you usually see a little bit of a change in demeanor. As a coach, you wish they were all that way all the time, but it’s also a great character trait he has that when things are tight or tough or when it’s crunch time, he’s usually at his best. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the fourth quarter, maybe when you need a big drive or you need something. I’ve noticed there’s times you can tell where he’s locked in and if he calls for a play you need to call it because he feels pretty good about it.

If Marshall can thrive in those critical moments and lead the Tigers to a victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, he’ll go out a hero. It would be the perfect ending to an imperfect career involving off-the-field issues and a detour to junior college.

Should he put together one of his finest games on Saturday, he’ll go down as a legend in the Auburn history books. He’s already done enough to cement his legacy in Tigers lore, but cutting the Tide short of a title would be quite a legendary way to go out.

Ultimately, Marshall may have two games left in his career, but he only has one game left to make his mark on college football history.