Nick Saban warns Alabama fans won't like his comments about Auburn

Nick Saban knows that his words carry weight.

That would explain the disclaimer he made Saturday during ESPN's “College GameDay.”

“There are going to be a lot of people in Alabama who don’t like what I’m about to say,” he began.

Later in the day, the conversation turned to the Auburn-Cal game, the second time in the last two seasons that the two teams have met.

“I think (Auburn coach) Hugh Freeze is going to do a great job,” Saban said. “I think they're going to be one of the most improved teams in the SEC.”

“DJ Durkin is a great addition to them as defensive coordinator. I really believe they're going to have a big impact, especially with the explosive players they've added to their offense. They're someone everyone has to reckon with.”

The Tigers host the Golden Bears after going 14-10 last season. The Tigers brought in seven new receivers to back up quarterback Payton Thorne, who struggled in this game, a fact Saban pointed out.

“I think the biggest thing here at Auburn is Payton Thorne, who probably didn't have a lot of confidence in his receivers last year,” Saban explained. “They have a much improved receiver group. They made a lot of explosive plays last week. They're going to go up against Cal and their secondary. They had three interceptions last week.”

“I think one of the keys to this game will be how Cal's reserve players can compete with Auburn's talented players.”

The Tigers just beat FCS Alabama A&M 73-3, but now face a bigger challenge. Cal survived a close first half to beat UC-Davis 31-13 in its opener.

Auburn receiver Sam Jackson V played quarterback for the Bears in that game, and Kirk Herbstreit said Auburn was “a surprise team in the SEC.”

Mark Heim is a reporter at The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_HeimHe can be heard daily from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile app.