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One of the biggest challenges Auburn has faced this week in getting ready for Alabama has been the weather. With one of the most powerful storm systems of the year coming through East Alabama this week, it has been hard for the Tigers to strictly focus on football. Will it make a difference on Saturday? Probably not.

Here's a report from the Auburn Athletic Department on Thursday's practice...

Nov. 16, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn football team conducted its final practice prior to Saturday's game at Alabama with a workout that lasted close to an hour and a half Thursday morning at the practice fields behind the Athletic Complex. During a week filled with rainy and colder weather, Thursday saw the coolest temperatures of the week, with temperatures in the 40s and winds and mist making conditions even less ideal.

"It's been not as good of a week of practice with the tempo because of the distractions from the weather," said head coach Tommy Tuberville. "It's been pretty rough. We had to separate offense and defense for a couple of days and the rain has been affecting us, but it's been a good mental week of practice. The guys have been into it. We'd just like to have had a little bit more continuity, but we can't do anything about the weather."

Auburn opened Thursday's practice working on special teams before moving on to scout team preparation. The offense and defense came together late in the practice for team drills, before concluding the workout with field goals.

"The guys are bouncing around for several reasons," said Tuberville. "Number one, you're playing your rival team, and the other is they get to go home for a week (after the game). It's been a long season. We're looking forward to the game. It should be a good one. We're looking forward to a big challenge, because that's exactly what we know it's going to be."

Auburn (9-2, 5-2 SEC) and Alabama (6-5, 2-5 SEC) will meet for the 71st time Saturday. Alabama leads the all-time series 38-31-1, but Auburn has won the last four meetings. This will be the 59th consecutive year that the two teams have played, as the series resumed in 1948 after a 40-year break after a 1907 tie game. The Alabama game has been the final regular-season contest for Auburn every year since 1948 with the exception of 2001, when 9/11 pushed the LSU game back to Dec. 1.

Saturday's game will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and will be nationally televised by CBS. The Auburn team buses will arrive on the southwest end of Bryant-Denny Stadium at approximately 12:30 p.m. CT. The team will unload at the corner of Bryant Drive and Wallace Wade Dr. and walk east into the stadium at Gate 17.