DeBoer caps his first regular season with the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC. No. 13 CFP) Saturday against Freeze's Auburn Tigers, with the team's league championship hopes dashed and playoff chances damaged but alive. Both teams have failed to meet fans' expectations but statewide bragging rights remain up for grabs.

What will happen when Alabama football faces Auburn in the 2024 Iron Bowl? The Crimson Tide and Tigers beat writers discuss.

Malik Blocton, a freshmen defensive lineman from Pike Road, was one of those kids, growing up less than an hour from Auburn’s campus. When speaking to reporters on Monday, he claimed that he had watched every Iron Bowl since he was 5 years old, mentioning the Auburn wins in 2013 and 2019 as two of his best Iron Bowl memories.