Mario Cristobal knows a thing or two about Auburn. Cristobal coached at the other school in the state of Alabama for four years, leading the Crimson Tide offensive line before heading west to join Willie Taggart's staff in 2017.

Cristobal and Alabama enjoyed great success during his four years there. They went 51-6 during those seasons including a national title win in 2015. That also includes a 3-1 record against the Auburn Tigers. The lone loss came via the infamous "Kick Six" in 2013.

But, while Cristobal admittedly knows a thing or two about playing Gus Malzahn and Auburn, he stated during Monday's press conference that that experience would not be the "total x-factor" in Saturday's outcome at AT&T Stadium.

"I think familiarity does help some," he said. "You understand certain schemes. You get a feel for personalities and how certain coordinators call games and what not. But when you watch them on tape, they do a great job week-to-week changing what they do, implementing their adjustments to be able to stop particular offenses and vice versa, and to expose certain defenses.

"There is some benefit, but I don't think it's the total x-factor in the game."

This game will certainly mean a ton to Oregon, but it will also mean a ton for the Pac-12 as a whole. The conference has struggled to maintain relevance in recent seasons, lacking a College Football Playoff representative each of the past two seasons. No team from the league has played in the championship game since Oregon's Marcus Mariota led team in 2014.

Cristobal acknowledged the importance for the league on Monday, but also downplayed it's factor in the preparation for Saturday's game between two of the nation's best teams.

"I think anytime you play a game, you're representing your conference as well as the university and community," he said. "We don't try to make it anything more than us preparing to face a great program and a great opponent. We really try to stay focused on the simple stuff."

The Ducks and Tigers will face off in Arlington on Saturday. The game is set for 6:30 PM and will be carried on ABC.