Nick Saban says Alabama viewed Tennessee as bigger rival than Auburn during his career

The Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn is considered one of the top rivalries in college football. But to Nick Saban, there's another game that Crimson Tide fans get up a little bit different for.

Saban, the seven-time national championship coach who's now an analyst on ESPN's "College GameDay," said on the show Saturday that his players viewed Tennessee as a bigger rivalry game than Auburn during his tenure.

REQUIRED READING: Tennessee-Alabama football history: Series record between Vols, Crimson Tide

"For our players, this was a bigger rivalry than any game we played," Saban said of "The Third Saturday in October."

Pat McAfee then asked Saban to clarify.

"I'm talking about rivalry games. Even bigger than Auburn to our players," Saban replied. "It was most difficult to me to get our players up for the Auburn game. It was never difficult for the Tennessee game."

It's interesting to hear Saban's viewpoint, as Alabama lost to Tennessee once during his tenure, which came 52-49 in 2022 when Chase McGrath made a game-winning field goal as time expired. Saban finished his Crimson Tide career with a 16-1 record against the Vols, compared to a 12-5 record against Auburn.

The 2024 Alabama-Tennessee rivalry is one of the most anticipated in recent years, as both teams are ranked inside the top 10 as one-loss SEC teams. It's also the first time first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, who replaced Saban after Saban retired, will face Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nick Saban says Alabama viewed Tennessee as bigger rival than Auburn during his career