GameDay Edition of All Things CW: Alabama at Tennessee

A 2022 look at the Third Saturday in October rivalry, are the Volunteers really contenders, and Top 10 Crimson Tide future non-SEC road venues.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As rivalries go this one was all but extinguished.

Sure, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee still had the Third Saturday in October name, and the the players and coaches still light up victory cigars in celebration even though it's considered an NCAA violation.

But the scores have told a different story: 45-7, 58-21, 35-13, 48-17, 52-24. Those have been for just the past five years, as the points differential has only been growing.

Consequently, it's a 15-game winning streak the Crimson Tide has in the series and Nick Saban still has a perfect record against the Volunteers while at Alabama. His teams have outscored the team in orange 589-201, for an average final of 38.3-13.4.

That's pure domination against a program that hasn't lived up to its end of the deal.

The string that began at the end of the Phil Fulmer years, and endured Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt, two former Saban assistants and the other two ended up working for him.

Actually, Dooley's been both as the Crimson Tide offensive analyst will be heading back to Knoxville and on the opposing sideline for the first time since he was fired in 2012 with a 15-21 record.

Only three times since 2007, when Saban was hired at Alabama, has Tennessee finished a season in the AP Top 25, No. 12 in 2007, and No. 22 in 2015-16. Its only had three first-round NFL draft picks since 2010, and no 10-win seasons in a dozen-plus years.

That 2007 team, the last to reach the SEC Championship Game, may have finished higher had Tennessee not been upset in Tuscaloosa, 41-17, even though the textbook disbursement scandal was announced that day and Alabama was without some prominent starters. The No. 20 Vols still couldn't take advantage.

Overall, the teams have played just once during the Saban era with both sides ranked. In 2016, No. 1 Alabama visited Knoxville with Tennessee at No. 9. However, the Vols were playing their fourth straight ranked opponent, and following a last-play victory over Georgia were coming off a 45-38 double-overtime loss at No. 8 Texas A&M.

The Crimson Tide crushed the home team, 49-10, starting the downward spiral leading to Jones being booted a year later.

This used to be a benchmark game, crucial to the title chances of both sides, and led to quotes like the following from legendary Tennessee legendary coach General Robert Neyland: “You never know what a football player is made of until he plays Alabama.”

He also once said: “Tennessee sophomores don’t deserve citizenship papers until they have survived an Alabama game.”

Perhaps college football should have known if what might develop when Alabama and Tennessee first met in 1901. With the game tied at 6-6, it ended up being called due to darkness. Spectators rushed the field in Birmingham to protest the outcome of a tie.

Of all the stories and tales I've come across about college football over the years, this following one has been my favorite. It stems from the 1913 game, and not because darkness was a factor and anyone with a car was to encircle the Tuscaloosa field and turn on their headlights so that play could continue, or that Alabama pulled off the 6-0 victory.

It was due to Bully VandeGraaff, the Crimson Tide's first All-American.

“His ear had a real nasty cut and it was dangling from his head, bleeding badly,” Tennessee lineman Bull Bayer later said. “He grabbed his own ear and tried to yank it from his head. His teammates stopped him and the managers bandaged him.

"Man, was that guy a tough one. He wanted to tear off his own ear so he could keep playing.”

Now that's a rivalry.

It was under Paul W. “Bear” Bryant's coaching tenure that the tradition of cigars began, but his history with Tennessee goes way back, to even before his years as head coach at Kentucky (1946-53), and when he was an assistant at Vanderbilt (1940-41).

One of the tales that's still told about his toughness stems from his senior year at Alabama in 1935, when Bryant played against Tennessee a week after suffering a broken leg against Mississippi State — and the fracture was confirmed by journalists who got to look at the X-ray.

Bryant recounted in his autobiography the speech assistant coach Hank Crisp gave before the 25-0 victory: “I'll tell you gentlemen one thing. I don’t know about the rest of you, you or you or you. I don’t know what you’re going to do. But I know one damn thing. Old 34 will be after’em, he’ll be after their asses.”

“In those days they changed the players’ numbers almost every week ... to sell those quarter programs,” Bryant wrote. “So he’s up there talking about old 34, and I look down, and I’m 34! I had no idea of playing.”

Since then there have been some amazing performances, including by Julio Jones and Amari Copper. Alabama has recruited some outstanding players out of Tennessee's backyard including Dont'a Hightower and Barrett Jones, plus a couple of the games were incredibly close.

Alabama's 2009 national championship season came dangerously close to being derailed by Kiffin, who could only helplessly watch nose tackle Terrence Cody make his second field goal block of the game in the closing seconds to preserve both the 12-10 victory and undefeated season.

“It’s funny, you wonder how the season might have been affected if that one armpit hadn’t blocked the kick. You never know," Barrett Jones said back in 2010.

“Thankfully it did.”

But what's kept the rivalry smoldering on the Alabama end has been Fulmer's legacy. During various legal cases and lawsuits, court records indicated that the former Tennessee coach was instrumental in the NCAA Committee on Infractions building a case against the Crimson Tide during a recruiting scandal that could have resulted in the program being issued the death penalty.

Numerous coaches had pointed the finger at Alabama, but Fulmer lobbied the SEC to take action and directed a key witness to investigators.

You know what they say about elephants never forgetting, and neither do Crimson Tide fans, who have subsequently enjoyed watching season after season for UT go up in smoke.

Of course, over this past summer the NCAA issued a 51-page report detailing 18 alleged major violations by Tennessee, including up to $60,000 in cash and gifts given to football recruits and players by Pruitt, his wife, coaches, football staff, and boosters.

Despite the large number of violations, the NCAA declined to charge the university with lack of institutional control as Danny White took over. Fulmer had stepped down as athletic director in January 2021, and Pruitt was fired and replaced by Josh Heupel.

The former Oklahoma quarterback is off to a good start in bringing the Volunteers back to relevance.

So yes, Alabama and Tennessee are rivals, and will probably always be. Crimson Tide fans still take exception to Peyton Manning leading the Pride of the Southland Band to celebrate a win 25 years ago, but do feel like karma caught up to the Volunteers.

As such, the slow burn of a cigar is appropriate symbolism.

However, there's only one thing that can fully reignite this rivalry, and heading into this weekend's top-10 matchup of No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee it's something the Crimson Tide aims to hold it off for as long possible.

Tennessee has to win. 

Tennessee's Good, But Are The No. 6 Vols for Real?

We've reached the midway point of the 2022 college football regular season and while there have been some surprise results thus far, there hasn't been too much that could be considered really surprising.

Ok, except Appalachian State stunning Texas A&M. That was a shocker along with Marshall over Notre Dame and Georgia Southern upsetting Nebraska.

Nevertheless, the teams atop the rankings this week are still the ones everyone expected. The order may vary depending on which poll is being consulted, as Alabama is No. 1 according to the coaches, and No. 3 by the writers, with Georgia and Ohio State also in the mix at the top.

The prevailing thought throughout the offseason was that those three teams would be the clear frontrunners for the College Football Playoff, leaving most of the arguments over which contender would be most worthy for the other semifinal spot.

Clemson leading that charge shouldn't shock anyone.

The biggest surprises on the negative side have been the Aggies and Fighting Irish, who were exposed as being pretenders along with Oklahoma. They were all preseason top 10 and are no longer in the running for the national title.

Some would claim Arkansas as another team that was overhyped, but if you looked close enough the Razorbacks had some real concerns that were exposed during the ongoing three-game losing streak.

When BamaCentral submitted its picks for the annual FanNation preseason picks by SEC sites, here's how our ballot looked:

Preseason Predicted Order of Finish

East

1. Georgia
2. Tennessee
3. Florida
4. Kentucky
5. South Carolina
6. Missouri
7. Vanderbilt

West

1. Alabama
2. Texas A&M
3. Mississippi State
4. Ole Miss
5. Arkansas
6. LSU
7. Auburn

(Yes, we liked the Bulldogs third in the SEC West because nearly every starter was back, and Mike Leach with a returning quarterback is a dangerous thing).

A reason why this is noteworthy this week is that both Alabama and Tennessee are in the top 10, both are undefeated, and the hype is growing about how the Volunteers appear to be back.

Maybe they are, or they're at least on their way.

But back? We really don't know.

Both Alabama and Tennessee were favored to win every game so far.

Yes, the Vols have played three ranked opponents at the time in No. 17 Pitt, No. 20 Florida, and last week No. 25 LSU. The latter two had new coaches, which was a big advantage for Josh Heupel and his coaching staff, which were on the other side of that last year.

The first two games were decided by a touchdown or less. Thumping LSU in Death Valley was really the first win Vols fans could truly hang their hat on this season.

The schedule makers didn't do Tennessee any favors when it put together back-to-back games against LSU and Alabama, but this next four-game stretch is when we're going to find out how good the No. 6 Volunteers really are as it includes No. 3 Alabama, No. 22 Kentucky and at No. 1 Georgia.

Coming into the season, a lot of people thought that Tennessee had a good chance to be the third-best team in the SEC, and that's exactly where it appears to be heading into the Third Saturday in October rivalry game.

So the real question is are the Volunteers better than that? They'll have the advantage of a packed Neyland Stadium for Alabama, facing a wounded Crimson Tide quarterback who didn't play last week, and a weeklong buildup that will be punctuated by College GameDay and SEC Nation pregame shows broadcasting live from campus.

Can they do more than take care of business? 

Top 10 Alabama Future Non-SEC Road Venues

Alabama announcing that had signed a home-and-home series with Minnesota on Tuesday filled an important gap in the long-time football schedule for the Crimson Tide.

Granted, it’s not the same as facing Oklahoma, which Alabama was set to play until the Sooners escaped the Big 12 and will soon join the Southeastern Conference. But considering the available options, and the desire to play name programs, the Gophers were a good get and a worthwhile replacement.

Remember, Alabama is still hoping to renovate Bryant-Denny Stadium again soon, and the ability to attract fans will be a key component. A lot of Minnesotans will be curious about Tuscaloosa and make the trip.

But for the away-game part of it, the Crimson Tide is basically doing the Greg Byrne world tour of college football, hitting up a lot of places that Alabama fans aren’t used to or have visited. It started with Texas this year, and even though the Longhorns are also joining the SEC, it still felt like a rock-star event.

Perhaps T-shirts could be made up with the stadiums (and scores) listed on the back.

The Crimson Tide will also get to see Touchdown Jesus, "Jump Around," the doting of the "i" and "Enter Sandman." It will also visit Saban's home state, the Rocky Mountains, and the home of the Freedom Trail.

A nice bonus will be that most of the games will be played in cooler locations in terms of temperatures. Yet not all venues are created equal.

Here’s our top 10 list of upcoming non-conference Crimson Tide road games over the next 12 years. Note that South Florida is not included because the Bulls play at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, which is also the home to the Outback Bowl and where Alabama lost to Clemson in the 2017 CFP National Championship Game. Plus, USF plays in the American Athletic Conference, and all of the other teams are in Power 5 conferences.

However, considering the area just south of Tampa was recently decimated by Hurricane Ian, please don’t skip the game/trip if you’re thinking about going. It’ll be hot on Sept, 16, 2023, but the area needs all the help and support it can get.

1. Notre Dame (Sept. 14, 2029): It’s Notre Dame. Enough said. Besides, Alabama is 0-2 at South Bend.
2. Ohio State (Sept. 18, 2027): The Crimson Tide has never visited the horseshoe, and it’s closer than some SEC venues.
3. West Virginia (Sept. 5, 2026): The Nick Saban connection to the area alone makes this a must go.
4. Wisconsin (Sept. 13, 2024): Madison tops the list in terms of just having fun.
5. Boston College (Sept. 13, 2031): Go for the city and region, stay for the game. Alumni Stadium capacity is just 44,500.
6. Minnesota (Sept. 18, 2032): Huntington Bank Stadium is gorgeous and the game won’t be played in winter.
7. Virginia Tech (Sept. 2, 2034): Enter Sandman is the best entrance in college football.
8. Arizona (Sept. 3, 2033): Really long drive, but Tucson gets a lot of bonus points for the scenery.
9. Florida State (Aug. 30, 2025): It’ll be like everyone in Tuscaloosa decided to head to beach at the same time.
10. Oklahoma State (Sept. 23, 2027): Alabama fans will get a chance to see where Barry Sanders torched defenses. 

The Numbers Say Alabama's Offense Better Than Most Realize

There's an angst among fans about the Alabama Crimson Tide offense and coordinator Bill O'Brien this season, even though the numbers tell a very different story.

Alabama is averaging more than 500 yards of offense per game. At 503.7, it ranks seventh in the nation.

The 7.46 yards per play is third, trailing just TCU (8.08) and Ohio State (8.07).

The Crimson Tide is fifth in scoring offense. Only two programs have notched more offensive touchdowns than Alabama's 32: The Buckeyes (41) and North Carolina (33).

Alabama is also third in rushing offense at 257.2 yards per game, and is first in rushing yards per carry (6.95).

Where this team hasn't clicked yet may be where it could eventually be the most dangerous, the passing game. It makes sense, though, and not just because quarterback Bryce Young got hurt.

Remember, this is an offense that had just one of its top six receivers from last season return. Two of the expected starters have barely played, and both of the starting tackles are new. It wasn't going to come out of the gate flying.

But the line has been more than solid, running back Jahmyr Gibbs has been outstanding, and the receiving corps has shown flashes of its potential.

If anything, Alabama's offense has shown amazing flexibility and ability to adapt while still coming together. Moreover, Young is also two weeks away from the bye and having a chance to rest his sprained shoulder.

Meanwhile, as noted here recently, O'Brien's name is spinning in the coaching carrousel and Sports Illustrated reported on Wednesday that he's still in the mix at Nebraska. Sources indicate that Matt Campbell could be tough to pry away from Iowa State, and that O'Brien has a previous relationship with athletic director Trev Alberts.

If so, he might be the top candidate. Stay tuned ... 

Top 5 Surprises of Alabama's 2022 Season (so far)

1. Turnover margin: Alabama is ranked 115th in the nation out of 131. The chances of it starting there are about none. But this also ties in with ...

2. Despite the fierce pass rush, the secondary has only picked off only one pass, by cornerback Terrion Arnold last week against Texas A&M. The defense's other pick was by Will Anderson Jr.

For more: The Stat Nick Saban is 'Emphasizing like Crazy' during Tennessee Week

3. The offensive line is better than expected. Remember all the talk and concern about who was going to play right tackle? Alabama leads the nation in rushing yards per carry at 6.95.

4. Kool-Aid McKinstry on punt returns. With 319 yards on 18 returns, he’s averaging 17.72 yards. The team is averaging 20.09 yards per return, which is a credit to the entire unit.

5. Jaheim Oatis. The true freshman defensive lineman has a ton of potential.

5 Things That Got Our Attention This Week

1] Salary inflation: According to this year’s annual USA Today examination, the level of head coaching salaries at the Football Bowl Subdivision level role 15.3 percent in average total compensation. It's “the greatest one-year spike since the current basic methodology was put in place for the 2009 survey.” It also noted that “at least 21 of the 65 Power 5 schools, basically one-third, are paying at least $1 million more [to head coaches] than they were scheduled to pay last season. The average pay for the 52 Power 5 public school head coaches is just over $5.45 million this season, up from $4.66 million last season.

2] Playoff expansion update: ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips had a lot to say at his conference's basketball media days, including on possible College Football Playoff expansion for the 2024 season. "We're trying," he said, per ESPN. "We're committed to doing it. We really are, across 10 conferences and Notre Dame. We feel really good about the work that's been done across all 10 conferences and Notre Dame these last five, six months. We're really unified in trying to get it done. It's just the logistics of this thing are difficult. Not insurmountable, but time is not a friend of ours right now. Time is not on our side. There's a lot of push to try to get this thing done."

3] Somebody's knockin', should I let them in: Amazon Sports Vice President of Global Sports Video Marie Donoghue told the Marchand & Ourand Sports Media Podcast that her company is “very interested” in adding college sports programming to Amazon Prime. “It would be excellent to have Thursday night lead into Friday, potentially Saturday. … We obviously don’t talk about specific negotiations, but we’re going to keep knocking.”

4] Cheese coaching wheel: Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh denied a report by FootballScoop.com reported this week that “an extremely heated conversation between Paul Chryst and (McIntosh) rested at the foundation of the stunning move,” to fire the football coach. He repeatedly said it wasn't a "knee-jerk reaction," but "came with a lot of contemplation and was deliberate."

As for if the rest of the season is an audition for interim coach Jim Leonard he told the Wisconsin State Journal: "That’s not a word I’d use, actually. I view this right now — this being maximizing what this season can be for these kids — as a priority, and it’s a priority that Jimmy and I both share. That’s where the focus is right now. And obviously I’ve enjoyed working alongside Jimmy for years now. Obviously I have a lot of confidence in his ability to step in in a terribly difficult situation. But that’s what it is right now and that’s where we’re at with it."

There's two reasons why Alabama fans may want to keep an eye on the situation: 1) O'Brien's name has been mentioned for the opening, and the Crimson Tide has the upcoming home-and-home with the Badgers.

5] Summer hoops: Look for Kentucky coach John Calipari talk up the idea of a summer league schedule during SEC Media Days next week in Birmingham, especially since teams are on campus anyway.

“Why not play games in Rupp Arena against good teams, maybe teams that won’t schedule you but now they’ll play you in a summer game and people get to see that, or against in-state teams, whatever?" he told The Athletic. "Have it televised on SEC Network. I’ve been pushing for five years now that we need to be doing stuff in the summer to bring light to college basketball.”

Tide-Bits

• Four of Saban's former assistant coaches at Alabama have their respective teams in the AP Top 25 poll this week: No. 1 (Georgia, Kirby Smart), No. 9 (Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin), No. 22 (Texas, Steve Sarkisian) and No. 25 ... James Madison? You might have missed that the 5-0 Dukes, coached by Curt Cignetti, cracked the rankings. However, they aren't eligible for the postseason due to a two-year transition period imposed by the NCAA when they moved up from the FCS level.

• SportsBetting.ag set odds on Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia vs. the field for winning the national championship, with the three powers listed at -1000, and everyone else at +550. That works out to a probability percentage of 90.9 that Alabama, Ohio State or Georgia wins the title. Individually, Ohio State is 2-1, Georgia 9-4 and Alabama 5-2.

• Even though Alabama lost to Georgia in the national title game last season, the Crimson Tide has won 27 straight regular-season games against SEC Eastern Division opponents, dating back to a 35-21 loss at then-No. 19 South Carolina on Oct. 9, 2010. It's 14-0 on the road during that stretch.

Did You Notice?

Sports Illustrated writer Ross Dellenger went to Knoxville early this week to take the temperature of the Tennessee fans. They're saying it might be the biggest game at Neyland Stadium since the 1998 national championship season.

It’s Time for Football to Kick Butt’: Tennessee’s Revival Faces Biggest Test vs. Alabama

Peyton Manning Will Be Guest Picker in Tennessee for ‘College GameDay’

College Football Bowl Projections

With Hotter Temperatures Come More Football Deaths

Bonus

While Alabama is playing in the Third Saturday of October rivalry at Tennessee, the most interesting game in-state has to be at Toyota Field, home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. The minor-league baseball stadium has been been converted for this weekend's football game between North Alabama and Jacksonville State.

Said North Alabama athletic director Joshua Looney to the Decatur Daily,: "It’s great. I think it’s a huge step up forward from the last game that was played in a baseball stadium in our league, which was Kennesaw State and JSU in SunTrust in 2018. The infield dirt was still there. The goal posts were on wheels. That’s a testament to the city of Madison and the Trash Pandas. If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right. The field conversion wasn't easy."

Nevertheless, "the Lions and the Gamecocks will go in the same direction when on offense, fielding kickoffs or kicking — toward the first-base dugout. The defensive end zone will be toward left field." It will be the second Division I game to have this format, the other being the 2010 Illinois vs. Northwestern matchup at Wrigley Field.

See Also:

Georgia Tech Hires J Batt Away from Alabama to be Athletic Director

Nick Saban's Final Injury Update on Bryce Young Before Tennessee Game Day

Legacy and Tradition: Few Understand Third Saturday in October Like Henry To'oTo'o

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