Everybody has at least one thing that consistently causes them headaches and problems. Superman had kryptonite. The Wicked Witch of the West had water. Vampires have a number of things.

For the state of Alabama and its football teams, that problem is Diego Pavia.

"I'm sick of seeing that quarterback," Hugh Freeze said while smiling on Monday. "I've had enough of him. What a competitor he is."

If anyone is familiar with what the Vanderbilt quarterback can do on the football field, it is Freeze. Two seasons when the Auburn coach was at Liberty, Pavia came into Lynchburg and put up six total touchdowns and 339 yards of total offense. Still playing for New Mexico State at the time, Pavia came into Jordan-Hare Stadium and put it on another Freeze-coached team, throwing for 201 yards and three scores as the Aggies blew out the Tigers 31-10.

And for all those in the rest of the state laughing about that result, Alabama found out what Freeze has known for three years now: Pavia is a winner. The Crimson Tide and Kalen DeBoer found out quickly and often in a shocking loss in Nashville in October. The signal-caller was up to antics against the No. 1 team in America, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 56 more yards. More importantly, he made the critical plays to keep drives alive and the clock moving, including in the fourth quarter when the Tide desperately needed a stop.

Pavia and the Commodores kept Alabama from getting the ball back. Pavia Mania was alive and well on Broadway as Vanderbilt students and fans celebrated one of the biggest victories in program history.

There were jokes made that the barely recruited quarterback out of high school was immediately moving into the governor's office in Montgomery. The mention of his name in the Yellowhammer State became worse than a four-letter word. In the rest of the nation, he became a hero.

Now, it is Freeze and Auburn's turn to take on the growing legend of Diego Pavia. He returns to Jordan-Hare on Saturday in a different uniform, but with the same "I don't give a crap, I'm the best player on the field" attitude that has been his mantra since he first started making highlight plays two years ago.

Freeze isn't going to use last year's loss as a motivating factor. The Auburn coach doesn't have to. Once he shows film of Pavia against Alabama or Texas or Missouri or whatever other team he has created nightmares for this season, no motivation will be needed. Auburn players will realize they are going up against one of the best playmaking quarterbacks in college football.

So Pavia returns to a place where he gave New Mexico State arguably the biggest win in school history less than a year after he led that charge. Auburn's defense will be waiting, but containing him is a different factor. He has regularly put undermanned teams on his back and kicked the crap out of the competition.

Will the spell over the state of Alabama continue? Or can Freeze and the Tigers find a shield to Pavia's kryptonite? All of Gotham (sorry, I mean Auburn fans) are waiting to find out.