Anything can happen in a rivalry.
That's the mantra that Auburn fans, and even the team itself are holding to heading into Tuscaloosa.
"We went through some tough times," said head coach Gus Malzahn said. "But this is the Iron Bowl. We've got a lot of character on this team and I expect our guys to be ready to play and I know they're excited to play."
In the three Iron Bowls Malzahn has coached in, just about anything and everything has happened.
In 2009, Alabama scored a last minute touchdown to squeak past Auburn on their way to a national championship. In 2010, Cam Newton and Auburn did the exact same thing in Tuscaloosa. And of course, no Auburn fan will ever forget last year's Kick Six.
Malzahn said those memories are in the past, and the team is fully focused on Saturday.
"I know it doesn't distract us," Malzahn said. "It's a new year. This is a new team just like (Alabama) is a new team. There are players who have overlapped that played in it, but this is a new year and a new game."
One of those overlapping players is quarterback Nick Marshall, who will play his last regular-season game for the Tigers in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
"He was a big part of leading us to the national championship, and it would have been extremely hard to get there without him," Malzahn said. "He has been very good for us. He's one of the best to ever come through here."
As for the rest of the seniors, they know their season isn't over and they still have a chance to bolster the already giant legacy they'll leave behind on the Plains.
"It's still to be written," said senior defensive lineman Gabe Wright. "This 2014 year still isn't over yet, but I'm sure our legacy will live on with the Auburn Family."
Wright also touched on how this class has seen Auburn football at its worst and its best, and how that has helped his class grow as players and as people.
"Through ups and downs, adversity is what makes a man," Wright said. "I think the adversity our class faced will define us as Auburn men and carry us on through life."
As far as Alabama is concerned, linebacker Kris Frost said the Tigers will be fully prepared come Saturday.
"Everybody takes it up a notch when it's Bama week," Frost said. "We're going to be ready when it comes time. Our attitudes are already right about it and everybody is focused about beating Bama."
Emotions will certainly be running high against the Tide, but Malzahn and the team are focused on the challenges they are about to face.
"Offensively, they are one of the best teams in the country," Malzahn said. "Defensively it is pretty much the same as every year. They have talented players at every position."
Alabama is the No.1 team in the country. The Tide have been on warpath since their loss at Ole Miss.
But anything can happen in a rivalry, especially one like the Iron Bowl.
"It's Auburn and Alabama," Malzahn said. "It's 365 days a year."
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