Tennessee and Alabama will clash in the 108th Third Saturday in October rivalry contest this October in Tuscaloosa, AL.
After a one-sided streak saw 15 straight wins from Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide, Tennessee and Alabama have traded wins in the last three years with the Vols picking up victories in 2022 and 2024 and the Tide defending their home turf in 2023.
The rivalry will move back to Tuscaloosa next season as Josh Heupel looks for his first win in Tuscaloosa and Kalen DeBoer looks for his first win over the Volunteers overall.
In late January, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach slotted Alabama at No. 12 and Tennessee at No. 19 in his Way-Too-Early College Football Rankings.
The network followed up on that article on Monday by highlighting an early pick for each team’s biggest season-defining game this fall.
While Tennessee was one of three teams (Georgia, South Carolina) to draw Alabama as its season-defining game, Alabama’s pick was narrowed down to Tennessee.
ESPN’s Chris Low referred to the rivalry as “the so-called must-win game” on the Tide’s 2025 schedule.
“The last thing Kalen DeBoer wants in his second season at Alabama is to lose back-to-back games to a rival the Crimson Tide have dominated for much of the past two decades,” Low writes. “The Vols have won two of the past three games in the series. But that’s after Alabama won 15 in a row under Nick Saban. Tennessee last won back-to-back games in this rivalry in 2003-04.”
With the Tennessee game’s placement on the schedule, Low also mentions that the contest could have major playoff implications for the Crimson Tide.
For the visiting team in this rivalry contest, it’s all about Tennessee’s quarterback stepping up to the plate to deliver a statement win in his second season as the Vols chase back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoffs.
“In 2025, the Volunteers will make the trip to Tuscaloosa in what could be the toughest game on their schedule all season. (A strong argument could also be made for the home contest vs. Georgia, but we’re giving weight to this game being on the road.) Nico Iamaleava has some of the greatest potential of any player in the country, and showing a leap in his second year as the starting quarterback is important for the success of coach Josh Heupel’s team. Iamaleava and the Volunteers could make a huge statement with a second straight win, and third in four years, over Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium,” ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. writes.
More from RTI: Tennessee Battling Three National Champions For Five-Star Running Back
Tennessee’s trip to Tuscaloosa will come during a three-game October stretch following an open date to begin the month. The Vols will host Arkansas on Oct. 11 before back-to-back road games against Alabama and Kentucky on the 18th and 25th.
The Georgia game, which falls as Tennessee’s third contest of the season, isn’t the season-defining game it could be for either program because of how early it is. Alabama, for instance, defeated Georgia early in the 2024 season but it was the Bulldogs who still made the playoffs while the Crimson Tide fell short.
An important early season measuring stick? Absolutely. But it’s too early to be a season-defining game.
Florida could be a potential pick but considering it’s Tennessee’s penultimate game of the regular season, it could just be more of a now-or-never contest for the Vols. In comparison, the Alabama game is the better choice because of what it could set up during a crucial middle-of-the-season stretch for the conference.
Tennessee’s two-game stretch last season with an overtime win over Florida and a win over Alabama helped the Vols refocus after a loss to Arkansas and gear up for the remainder of the season. From that point on, Tennessee went 4-1 en route to the playoffs with wins over Kentucky, Mississippi State, UTEP, and Vanderbilt.
Aside from just playoff impact, there’s also the pride and momentum factor. As Alabama looks to regain its balance after stumbling a bit in Kalen DeBoer’s first season with the program, Josh Heupel is looking to make his mark on the rivalry with back-to-back wins including his first win in Tuscaloosa. The Third Saturday in October can go a long way in gaining momentum heading into the back half of the season.
At the end of the day, though, it’s Alabama. Of course it’s the biggest game.
Alabama will host Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Tuscaloosa, AL. The Vols defeated the Tide by a score of 24-17 last season in Knoxville.
