For 27 seniors, a career filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows enters its final chapter on Saturday night as Auburn squares off against No. 1 Alabama.

The Tigers’ 27 seniors experienced more highs and lows than the latest Harry Potter World ride here in Orlando.

This class ought to be remembered for accomplishing the impossible. They led the most improbable transformation in Southeastern Conference history. Yes, this season has been a disappointment; the failure to get back to Atlanta and compete for a berth in the College Football Playoff and the downfalls that haunted Auburn down the stretch are cause for concern.

Sure, the results of the 2014 season should have been year one of the Gus Malzahn era, with 2013 being year two. But the standard set last year is the bar to which this senior class should not be measured.

This class will always have the Kick Six and the Prayer at Jordan-Hare.

The turnaround engineered by these 27 seniors — four fourth quarter comebacks, a nine game winning streak en route to the BCS National Championship game and two of the most unlikely plays in back-to-back rivalry games — is more remarkable because of what this class had to play through in 2012.

Putting aside the “What have you done for me lately?” mentality that pervades sports today, these seniors have seen the end of the rainbow, but they’ve also braved the storm.

The Tigers suffered a 27-point loss earlier this month to Georgia, the worst loss under Malzahn. Pundits criticized the performance, myself included, and rightly so. However, just two short years ago, those types of losses were run-of-the-mill. Auburn lost all eight conference games by an average of 24 points in 2012.

Excuses? There are none. High expectations? Yes. A foundation for a successful program? Absolutely.

Eighteen of the 27 seniors have won 30 or more games in four seasons, with 20 of those having come in the first two seasons of Malzahn’s tenure.

Six of those 18 players watched Cam Newton, Nick Fairley and company win a national championship, while the rest developed on the field during the 3-9 season of 2012. There’s no way they could’ve expected to have their shot at a national title. Yet there they were, 13 seconds away from hoisting the crystal football last season.

These 27 seniors will leave the Plains without a national championship. The Auburn faithful has to be appreciative of what this group’s accomplished, getting so close to the top after being the laughingstock of the SEC 12 months before. Hopefully, after this class takes off the orange and blue for the final time and takes some time to reflect, they’ll see what fans see.

Perhaps the only thing that would ease the disappointment of not realizing their goals would be one more win. A win over their arch rival.

This class deserves to be celebrated. They’ve experienced the bottom, the ascent and the peak.

They dropped off this season, but the great thing about roller coasters?

There’s always another high point coming.