Bryan Harsin remembers 333 days ago on Christmas Eve after a 30-minute opening statement in his introductory press conference, the very first question he got was about the Iron Bowl.

"The first question I was asked after I did my press conference on Christmas Eve was about the Iron Bowl, which I think at that time was about 340 days away. So, here we are," Harsin said. "That’s one of the things that, personally, I look back on after I finished everything I had to say, that was the first question I had. So, that made it very clear how important this is.

The rivalry — which dates back to 1893 — is always at the forefront of fans' minds across the state.

It's part of the reason Harsin chose to depart Boise State and take on a new challenge at Auburn.

"As far as the Iron Bowl goes, you know, I told the players I'm excited to coach in this game. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to be at Auburn," Harsin said. "You know, go back before I was ever a part of this program, you know, the Iron Bowl has been a game that everybody's watched. Everybody knows Auburn and Alabama are playing.

"If you have a chance and you get on and watch the game — you know, if you're coaching and there's time. For us at Boise, we had the latest games, so you could always get a chance to watch these games."

This year's Iron Bowl will not have SEC West Championship implications. Alabama already clinched its spot and Auburn is 6-5 and in the middle of a three-game losing streak, but that doesn't change things for the players.

It's still an opportunity to change the narrative of a season that's taken a turn for the worse recently.

"Obviously, everybody knows it's a big game," receiver Shedrick Jackson said. "It's one of the best rivalries in college football, so, like I told them, if we beat Bama then it'll be a whole different story. Kind of turns things around and give a different perspective."

Captain Chandler Wooten preached a "one-game season" to his teammates after the South Carolina game.

Saturday's Iron Bowl will be in its usual timeslot of 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

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