Nick Saban on Jordan-Hare Stadium: 'Alabama going to the haunted house is scary to me'

Halloween is almost a month in the past, but Alabama is in for a big scare on Saturday. Or, at least, that’s according to former head coach Nick Saban.

The Crimson Tide will travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers in the all-important Iron Bowl. Even worse for Alabama — it’s at night. Weird and improbable things happen there at night, which has all the makings for Alabama entering a spooky evening inside a hostile environment.

“Alabama going to the haunted house is scary to me,” Saban admitted on ESPN College GameDay. Saban has notably declared Jordan-Hare Stadium as ‘haunted‘ in the past.

Saban has good reason to believe Auburn is haunted. During his tenure at Alabama he compiled a 5-4 record against his program’s bitter rival in Jordan-Hare. Still, it’s clear that some of those all-time great Iron Bowl moments have been seared into his memory, just like it has for many fans on both sides of the aisle.

The kick-six and the grave-digger play immediately come to mind. He’s also mentioned the tip-six, which didn’t happen in the Iron Bowl but against Georgia, as another moment that has shaped his belief.

What’s scary is that Alabama’s College Football Playoff fate hinges on a positive outcome vs. Auburn. The Crimson Tide has had a season full of high high’s and low low’s. The highs include winning four games in a row vs. ranked SEC opponents in the middle of the season. While the lowest low was losing to Florida State in the season opener.

All of that has led to a 9-2 Alabama team, ranked No. 10 in the country, traveling across the state to play an Auburn team that is one win away from bowl eligibility. That means Saturday night’s game vs. the Tigers is a must-win for both programs as it could be the difference in Alabama making the playoffs and Auburn playing in a bowl game.

While Jordan-Hare Stadium continues to haunt Saban, this will be the first time a Kalen DeBoer-led Alabama team travels to Auburn. Last season, Alabama emerged with a 28-14 win during DeBoer’s first season at the helm, and is looking to improve to 2-0 against his program’s bitter rival on Saturday.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ABC. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call for the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl.