TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Depending on which portion of the fan base you ask, you will get a different answer when discussing who is Alabama’s top rival.

Some like to differentiate between main rival and biggest rival. The older crowd and some Alabama lifers point to Tennessee, whom Alabama faces this Saturday, as the Crimson Tide’s rival. Others feel in-state enemy Auburn should be at the top of the Crimson Tide’s rival list. 

But how do the players feel? Is Tennessee still a rivalry to this generation?

“I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry, but it’s definitely a big game,” said right tackle Jedrick Wills. “It’s not equal to Auburn, but it’s still a big game. I wouldn’t consider it a rivalry.”

Added linebacker Mack Wilson, “Traditionally-wise, I feel like they’re both two big games. As for me, I just look at it like it’s another game, but I know that Auburn is more like the rival game, I feel like.”

Wills is an out-of-state kid from Kentucky, so he didn’t grow up hearing about Alabama-Tennessee. But Wilson is from Montgomery, Ala., so him picking Auburn over Tennessee as Alabama’s big rival shows how things have changed.

It’s not surprising the players feel Auburn is Alabama’s rival considering that most of them were in grade school the last time Tennessee beat Alabama.

The Iron Bowl has been a much more competitive contest compared to the Third Saturday in October.

Tennessee is coming off a big win over Auburn, giving the Volunteers their first SEC victory in two years. The Vols are coached by first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt, who spent the previous two years as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. That adds another level of intrigue.

As always, Alabama coach Nick Saban believes the biggest rival is the next opponent on the schedule. Saban said this rivalry hasn’t changed at all during his time here, calling it a “big game.”

“It doesn’t matter what happened last year or 10 years ago,” Saban said. “What’s going to happen this week is the most important thing, and how our players look at that and respond to the challenges with a confident team now. They just had a big win.

“So we’re going to have to be at our best and take advantage of every opportunity that we have to be successful in the game. In my mind it hasn’t changed at all. This is the most important Tennessee-Alabama game ever played because it’s the one we’re playing now, all right? It’s the most important game this season because it’s the one we’re playing now. So it is what it is.”