When the Iron Bowl changed

I'll give my 2 cents. Before Saban arrived at Alabama, the MAJORITY of Alabama/Auburn games since 1980 involved 2 pretty good teams but not teams that were competing for national titles. SEC or Divisional Titles were sometimes on the line, but while Alabama folks talked about national titles, we all really understood where the programs were. Therefore, the Alabama-Auburn game (along with Georgia for Auburn and Tennessee for Alabama) ended up being statements of the season. Win 10 games, win the West, beat Auburn/Alabama. That was a successful season.

When Saban arrived and Alabama started to be a national player again, it changed the definition of a successful season. Auburn countered by winning in 2010 and then being a staple on the national stage in 2013, 2014 and 2017. The Iron Bowl became a game that was a stepping stone to getting to what both fanbases saw as the ultimate goal : SEC and National Titles.

So, if there was a year when those 2 goals were out of reach (generally on the Auburn side), not only was that fanbase down in the dumps, but the odds of an Iron Bowl win were pretty slim to none. Add in Alabama losing to Auburn in 2017 and STILL winning the national title, and I think it kind of puts us where we are today. The entire national shift to "all that matters are the playoffs/titles" also has something to do with this.

TL/DR summation : The Iron Bowl always matters, but the fact that both programs have "national title" aspirations every year the Iron Bowl has become more of another game (against a team you hate) to get to that goal, not a goal itself.