Nick Saban and Alabama are gearing up to close out the season against Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday in a game that can get competitive no matter how different the teams’ seasons have been.

Saban discussed the Iron Bowl in his press conference Monday, detailing the historic rivalry and what this year’s game could look like.

“Obviously the Iron Bowl is one of the great rivalry games in college football, something that you look forward to as a competitor,” Saban said. “It’s also something that is a great opportunity to be able to play in, and I don’t think anyone needs to pay attention to what happened in the past, what happened in the last game, what somebody’s record is. Anytime you play in a rivalry game, it’s going to be a highly competitive, tough, very physical game and that’s what everyone needs to get ready for.”

Auburn has had a decent first season under Hugh Freeze so far outside of an embarrassing loss to New Mexico State last week. The Tigers are looking for a massive upset over the Tide this weekend.

Saban praised Freeze for his first season at Auburn.

“I think Hugh Freeze has done a fantastic job with his team this year,” Saban said. “They’ve played very competitively in all their games. They’re 6-5, they’ve won some games really well.”