<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1AXv6t_0wDj6h0F00" style="display:none" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1AXv6t_0wDj6h0F00" width="1192" height="800" ><figure><iframe height="360" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/uyr2bJKy-Gqa7hx4c.html" width="100%"></iframe><figcaption>The 10 Most Impressive Weight Rooms In College Football (1:12) </figcaption></figure> For nearly two decades, Nick Saban ran a college football empire at Alabama. The Crimson Tide have been the sport's model program during his tenure, with several national championships and multiple Heisman trophy winners. Few programs in the history of the sport have the tradition and prestige of a team like Alabama, and Saban's success is a massive part of that. The former head coach is now an analyst with ESPN, and he gave his opinion on the biggest rival he faced while coaching the Tide. Surprisingly, the head coach didn't give the nod to the Iron Bowl with Auburn, opting for a team that played in the old SEC East. <a href="https://x.com/TreyWallace_/status/1847648352583778310" rel="nofollow"> During Saturday's episode of "College GameDay," </a> Saban said that Tennessee was a bigger rival to Alabama than Auburn, at least during his time at the school. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/TreyWallace_/status/1847648352583778310" rel="nofollow"></a></blockquote><script async charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> “For our players, this was a bigger rivalry than any other game we played," Saban said on Saturday morning. "Even bigger than Auburn to our players." Saban said that he often struggled to get his players ready emotionally to play against Auburn,&nbsp;but that there were no such concerns against Tennessee. "It was always difficult for me to get our players up for the Auburn game, it was never difficult for Tennessee," he said. Saban went 16-1 against Tennessee during his time at Alabama, with the one loss coming at Neyland Stadium back in 2022. He went 12-5 against Auburn, making the Tigers one of his more consistent foes. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3V4FBd_0wDj6h0F00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3V4FBd_0wDj6h0F00" width="1199" height="800" ><figcaption>AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 25: ead coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide huddles the team prior to running out to face the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/1813904841" rel="nofollow"> Kevin C&amp;period Cox&amp;solGetty Images </a></figcaption></figure> Alabama and Tennessee will renew their rivalry in Saturday's high-stakes matchup. Each team enters with one conference loss to an unranked team, and another loss could be disastrous when it comes to the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff. The winner of Saturday's game will still be able to control their own destiny when it comes to the postseason, but two losses in a conference as competitive as the SEC could completely break a team's season. We'll see if today's game lives up to Saban's estimation of the rivalry between the two schools. <a href="https://thespun.com/college-football/college-football-fans-saddened-by-lee-corsos-performance-this-morning" rel="nofollow"> Related: College Football Fans Saddened By Lee Corso's Performance This Morning </a></div></body>

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Nick Saban Names Alabama's Biggest Rival - It's Not Auburn

For nearly two decades, Nick Saban ran a college football empire at Alabama. The Crimson Tide have been the sport's model program during his tenure, with several national championships and multiple Heisman trophy winners. Few programs in the history of the sport have the tradition and prestige of a ...