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Andrew Buttke catches a pass from his daughter, Carly, as the pair set up their tailgating spot for the Iron Bowl. (Joel A. Erickson/jerickson@al.com)

--

Danny Burnette

,

Jerome Crowe

and the rest of their tailgating crew has been making the trip from Childersburg to Auburn's hayfields for years, and they've never been worried about getting to their traditional spot.

The familiar Auburn painted school bus takes its normal place in Auburn's hayfields. (Joel A. Erickson/jerickson@al.com)

Not until they saw the line of RVS trailing down South College and hooking onto Donahue on Saturday morning.

Hundreds of RVs swarmed into Auburn on Saturday morning, beginning as early as possible, to secure their spots in the hayfields for next week's monumental Iron Bowl.

"It was very concerning this time whether or not we'd get the same spot," Burnette said. "There were more RVs this morning than I've seen this early in a long time, if ever."

Auburn altered its usual plans to let fans park their RVs a week early, although none can be occupied until 8 a.m. Wednesday.

By the time the hayfields opened at 11 on Saturday, fans from all over the state, including a few wearing crimson, had turned the roughly six-mile stretch from Exit 51 on I-85 to the hayfields into a massive line.

With so many people flooding into the hayfields, both Burnette and Crowe said the process of parking several hundred RVs on open ground went so smoothly that they found the Auburn personnel in charge and let them know.

But most of the hayfield's veteran tailgaters knew the rush was coming.

Birmingham's

Chuck Bush

has been tailgating with a large group of family and friends in the hayfields for roughly a decade, and his group always lands in the same spot, right at the front of the driveway entering the hayfields.

Bush wasn't surprised at all at the line that formed Saturday morning.

"Not for this game, no," Bush said with a chuckle. "And honestly, three or four years ago, it was this way just about every week. Then it kind of died down a little, but it's picking back up."

An Auburn flag flies atop an RV in the Auburn hayfields. (Joel A. Erickson/jerickson@al.com)

For Bush and his group, the normal corps of 25 to 30 swells to 50 or 60 for a big game like the one scheduled to take place next Saturday.

That's what brought

Andrew Buttke

and his family to the hayfield this week, anyway.

Buttke, an Auburn resident who normally parks the RV in the driveway and tailgates near the stadium, has so many friends and family coming in for the Iron Bowl that his tailgate needed more room.

"This is the first time we actually brought it to the hayfields," Buttke said. "It was originally supposed to open on Wednesday, but (Auburn) had a better idea on this Saturday, since we're off."

Nobody who took advantage of the early chance to set up next week's tailgating spot was really surprised that so many showed up.

This Iron Bowl is shaping up to be as big as it can be.

Hundreds of RVs are already packed into Auburn's hayfields for next week's Iron Bowl. (Joel A. Erickson/jerickson@al.com)

"The fact that it's Alabama, and the fact that we're way above, I think, what most of us expected in our wildest imaginations -- most of us, thought 6,7,8 wins -- to be where we are, that's certainly increased interest," Bush said. "Obviously, Alabama not having a big home game this week allowed some of their fans to come down and park. ... It's going to be a big crowd, and a lot of fun."