BATON ROUGE, La. — Alabama football head coach Nick Saban's latest comments are sure to catch the ears of many in Baton Rouge.
The Advocate reports that Saban gave one of the highest compliments to the rival Auburn Tigers before Saturday's Iron Bowl.
"This is the best team we've played probably so far this year," Saban said. "And this will be the most challenging place we've played so far."
No. 1 LSU defeated No. 2 Alabama 46-41 earlier this month through a masterful performance by quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Joe Burrow. The game was Alabama's only loss of the season so far and ended an eight-year string of futility against the Tigers' nemesis that started with the national title game in January 2012.
LSU's win also helped seal the Southeastern Conference Western Division for the Tigers, the team's first division title since 2011.
Alabama is fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings and hoping to somehow make the field despite failing to win the SEC West — and losing its biggest star Tua Tagovailoa.
Alabama ends the regular season at Auburn in its final chance to make a statement for the playoffs.
"The Iron Bowl is one of the great rivalries in college football," Saban said. "Maybe as it should be, a lot comes down to this game."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
