Nick Saban remembers last year’s Iron Bowl really well, because he watched it from home while battling COVID-19.

He called the Iron Bowl one of the best rivalries in the country, and added that in the games Alabama has lost at Jordan-Hare Stadium, “We’ve been our own worst enemy.”

“There’s been some crazy things that happened when we were down there,” Saban said.

Thinking back to the first time he coached in an Iron Bowl, Saban said, “You actually feel it.”

Auburn is coming off a loss to South Carolina, and comes into Saturday with a 6-5 record.

“All the way around, this is a really good Auburn team,” Saban said. “It’s all about the players when you play in this game. If you don’t have success in this game, I don’t care what else you accomplish the rest of the season, there’s always a ‘but.'”

He added, “Auburn really has a good team. They’ve had some close loses, they’ve had some tough injuries, but I think T.J. Finley is a very good, capable quarterback.”

The teams have split the last 4 meetings with the home team winning each time.

H/T Roger Hoover, Michael Casagrande, Ashlee Woods.