SEC Network personalities talk pageantry, tradition, and why Tennessee is Alabama’s biggest rival
On October 15, 2022, a sleeping giant was awakened in the hills of eastern Tennessee. The Volunteers took down the great Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time since before his hiring. For those who haven't heard the absurd number that was Saban's record against the Vols, it's 15. Even in a century-long rivalry headlined by streaks, 15 straight wins is unheard of in rivalries of this magnitude. It's what led many, including myself, to sometimes forget just how big a deal it was to beat Tennessee. It had become a formality, a foregone conclusion before the game even started. But not anymore.
This will be the fourth consecutive Third Saturday in October in which both teams are ranked, the longest such streak in the history of the matchup. Josh Heupel has revitalized the program in Knoxville and, for the first time since the days of Peyton Manning, has the team in contention for a national championship at some point every season.
The reason I say all this is to help magnify to those who still don't quite understand just how much this game means nationally. Of course, it's national championship or bust in Tuscaloosa, but that needs no explanation. But what people within this rivalry need no explanation for is what this game means between the two programs. Nick Saban famously stated that Tennessee was a bigger rival to the Crimson Tide than even the in-state Auburn Tigers. Even in a state divided, Alabama fans everywhere seem to give the same answer: I dislike Auburn, but I hate Tennessee.
Don't believe me? Ask Roman Harper, former Alabama defensive back and third round pick in the 2006 NFL draft spent four years entrenched in both the Iron Bowl and Third Saturday in October, "I have family that went to Auburn, I have friends that went to Auburn. That part of it for me makes it so I just dislike Auburn." Earlier, he mentioned that in growing up closer to Auburn than he did to Tuscaloosa, he spent time around Auburn in ways that he never could with Tennessee. Harper explained the driving factor in what brings more hate to the game from his perspective, "It's easier to build up a hatred of a team when you don't know that team. When I'm literally just going to play them and I'm tired of their freaking Rocky Top playing in practice, that's what makes it easier to find hatred towards a team.
You can take the man out of the rivalry, but you'll never take the rivalry out of the man, especially this one.
What about someone who could be considered an outsider to this tradition-deep rivalry? That someone is ESPN's Marty Smith, who has become as synonymous with the Southeastern Conference as anyone in the company. Smith spoke more to the pageantry and tradition-rich history that comes with the game between two tradition-rich programs. "What I love about college football is when there are identities for various towns and even states based on those programs, and that is unequivocally the case for both of these teams. Alabama is Alabama, and Tennessee is Tennessee. So when you think of the millions of people that take that much of a game, I just love that. It's a beautiful thing."
For over a century, this game has been one of the benchmarks of a successful season between the two teams. But it seems that since the arrival of Josh Heupel and his high-powered offenses, the game has only gone up in relevance. The home team has won the last three, and Alabama hasn't dropped this game at home since 2003. The Vols will have a lot of history to overcome if they want to slow down the beast that is an Alabama team within the walls of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
As for the final comparison between the two, this game means a great deal to both of their chances to be one of the 12 playoff teams. Neither can afford to lose their second game before November, especially not in today's wild west that we call the SEC. Saturday night's game has the potential to be an all-time classic, and regardless of who ends up smoking the famed victory cigars, just know they will have earned it.
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