Alabama coach Nick Saban said he’s never used revenge to motivate his Crimson Tide for its next game, but he’s not naïve to the notion that memories of a defeat can provide inspiration.

Alabama tight end Miller Forristall (87) and Alabama linebacker Ben Davis (1) practice heading into the Tide’s game with LSU. (Kent Gidley/UA Athletics)

“Do I think it is a motivating factor with individuals and players? I absolutely think it is,” Saban said. “I think that awareness of what happened in last year’s game and all that is always something that players remember. I do think it’s a motivating factor.”

No doubt at least some Alabama players will have their 46-41 loss to eventual national champion LSU on their minds as they get set to visit the Tigers at 7 p.m. Saturday, televised on CBS. Even more indelibly in their ears will be the fiery postgame comments by LSU coach Ed Orgeron, as reported by The Tuscaloosa News and other outlets.

“Nobody likes to get disrespected,” Saban said. “I think when you lose a game, you feel that way to some degree. I think it’s human nature to try to make it right, so I do think that is a motivating factor for most human beings.”

This year, LSU is 3-4. Alabama, 8-0 and the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff ranking, is coming off a 42-13 victory over cross-state rival Auburn.

Auburn’s Seth Williams (18) makes a first down reception during the game between Auburn and Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium. This week Auburn takes on Texas A&M. (Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics)

Normally, the Iron Bowl is followed by a possible trip to an SEC championship game and a bowl game. Not so this year, as Auburn (5-3) is set to host No. 5 Texas A&M at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN.

The visiting Aggies (6-1 with a lone loss to Alabama) have hopes of crashing the CFP Final Four.

“I think it’s a positive,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “We are all programmed when the Iron Bowl is over with, you’re thinking about postseason, whatever that means. The unique thing this year is obviously we came off of a tough loss, but we have a Top 5 team coming in.”

A&M’s visit delivers a chance for redemption for the team on the Plains.

“That should be a positive this week compared to normal seasons,” Malzahn said. “That’s the way we’ve got to look at it. That’ll be a big key for our guys to get ready to play a really big game at home, the highest-ranked team we will play at home all year.”

UAB (4-3) is again a victim of the pandemic this week. Because of positive COVID-19 tests, subsequent contact tracing and injuries within the Middle Tennessee football program, the Blue Raiders have canceled this Sunday’s game in Murfreesboro.

The UAB Department of Athletics is working with the Conference USA office on the possibility of rescheduling a game for this weekend. The Blazers have one remaining regular season game set for next Saturday, Dec. 12, at Rice.

This is the fourth game in a row UAB has had canceled. The Blazers sit at 2-1 in league action and look to make a third straight C-USA championship game appearance if they can meet the league minimum for conference games played.

Troy at South Alabama: The Trojans visit the Jaguars at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Battle for the Belt at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

“We have three games left,” Troy coach Chip Lindsey said. “Like I told our team, we still have a fourth of our season left to play here in December. This is an opportunity for us to take another step forward.

“How we finish these last three games will determine if we get to go to a bowl game and will build momentum for next season,” Lindsey continued. “We have a lot of guys coming back, and we have a pretty young football team. There is a lot of opportunity for us to grow these last three games, and it starts with the Battle for the Belt.”

USA (4-6, 3-4 Sun Belt) is closing out its regular season with Senior Day. Fifteen players will be honored in a ceremony 25 minutes before kickoff.

Troy leads the overall series 5-3. The Trojans (4-5, 2-3) have won the past two meetings, the most recent 37-13, on Oct. 16, 2019, in Troy.

The Trojans have two more home games scheduled – 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, against nationally ranked Coastal Carolina and 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, against Louisiana-Monroe.

HIGH SCHOOLS

The Super 7 championships of the Alabama High School Athletic Association began Wednesday with No. 1 and defending state champion Thompson getting an improbable, last-second 29-28 victory over No. 6 Auburn (12-2) at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the University of Alabama campus.

The Warriors (14-0) lost their starting quarterback to injury in the first half. They trailed 28-19 in the final minute before returning a blocked punt for a touchdown, recovering an onside kick and getting a 35-yard field goal from MVP Trevor Hardy to notch their second straight state title. Thompson scored 10 points in the final 18 seconds, which netted the Warriors a segment on this morning’s SportsCenter on ESPN.

Final Score: Thompson 29 Auburn 28 pic.twitter.com/CCxcZaceXV

— THS Athletics (@athletics_ths) December 3, 2020

Championship action resumes at 10 this morning.

All games are being televised over the AHSAA TV Network and live-streamed over the NFHS Network. WOTM TV is producing the games, which can been seen over a network of cable affiliates across the state. The games were offered free to every cable affiliate in the state.

Today

CLASS 3A Finals: Fyffe was the Class 2A champion last season. This morning at 10, No. 1 Fyffe (14-0) takes on Montgomery Catholic (12-2) for the Red Devils’ second consecutive crown.

CLASS 1A Finals: No. 2 Linden (13-0) faces No. 10 Pickens County (11-3) at 2:45 p.m.

CLASS 5A Finals: As if beating No. 1 Ramsay in a rematch last week wasn’t tough enough, No. 3 Pleasant Grove (11-2) now goes against No. 2 St. Paul’s Episcopal (14-0) at 7:30 p.m. The Spartans were runners-up in Class 5A in 2019, falling 31-27 to Central-Clay.

Friday

CLASS 4A Finals: No. 3 Gordo (13-1) takes on No. 5 Handley (11-1) at 10 a.m.

CLASS 2A Finals: No. 8 Abbeville (12-1) goes up against No. 1 Mars Hill Bible (12-2) at 2:45 p.m. Mars Hill was the 2019 runner-up in Class 1A.

CLASS 6A Finals: There will be few first-time butterflies when No. 7 Spanish Fort (11-3) squares off against No. 3 Pinson Valley (11-2) at 7:30 p.m. Spanish Fort lost by 1 point to Oxford in the Class 6A final last year. Two years ago, the Indians won their second of two straight championships.