The annual Iron Bowl between in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn is set for this Saturday. There’s little need to stir up any additional motivation in this showdown, but ESPN’s Greg McElroy shared extra layers of it for each team.

Auburn’s motivation is to qualify for bowl eligibility, which could be difficult considering teams are 0-3 in the Iron Bowl during the last 3 such scenarios.

McElroy cites interim head coach Cadillac Williams as a fueling positive source for Auburn.

“I think all of us can probably point to the fact that Cadillac Williams has brought energy into the Auburn program. He’s brought a newfound life into the Auburn program,” McElroy said. “Now there’s performances that have certainly left something to be desired. It’s been far from dominant and it’s been far from impressive, but they have played hard. You cannot deny they’ve played insanely hard.”

Meanwhile, McElroy believes Alabama will want to quiet the naysayers and send off the seniors with a final victory at home.

“I think they’re going to be pretty motivated. A lot of people have questioned. A lot of people have doubted. A lot of people have wondered. When are we going to see the Alabama of old?” McElroy said. “I don’t know if you’ll see it in this game. I don’t know if you’ll see it this season. But it does feel for many guys that will be playing their final game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, that they want to leave on a high note.”

Alabama holds the edge in all-time series 48-37-1 vs. Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alabama is riding a 2-game winning streak vs. Auburn. Alabama outlasted Auburn 24-22 in a 4OT thriller last year. Auburn’s last win in the matchup was a 48-45 home victory on Nov. 30, 2019.

The 87th Iron Bowl is slated for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff (CBS).