Kickoff Time, TV Assignment Announced for Alabama Football vs. Tennessee

The Crimson Tide and Volunteers will match up in Tuscaloosa on October 18.

Oct 19, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

When rivals Alabama and Tennessee take the gridiron against one another on October 18, the teams will be doing so against the backdrop of a night-game atmosphere inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

It was announced Monday that the Crimson Tide's matchup with the Volunteers will have a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff time, with the contest broadcast nationally on ABC. Last season's Third Saturday in October game kicked off at 2:30 p.m. CT in Knoxville.

Alabama and Tennessee are separated by four spots in the AP Poll as of this writing; the Crimson Tide is eighth in the latest rankings, while the Volunteers are ranked No. 12. Games between the two programs in each of the last three seasons have been ranked matchups. Tennessee has not been the higher-ranked team in any of those three contests, but did win two of them.

The Crimson Tide has played its last two games against ranked opposition, defeating Georgia on the road Sept. 27 and Vanderbilt at home on Saturday. This weekend's opponent is No. 14 Missouri. Alabama's challenging schedule is in its toughest stretch yet.

Tennessee did not defeat Alabama at all during Nick Saban's tenure until the 2022 season. Kalen DeBoer is 0-1 against the Volunteers after last season's 24-17 loss. Both recent Volunteer wins have come within the confines of Neyland Stadium. Tennessee has not won in Tuscaloosa since 2003.

Josh Heupel has turned the Volunteers' program around since taking the reins in 2021. This season, Tennessee's lone loss is to Georgia, having fallen 44-41 in overtime at home on Sept. 13. It was a game the Volunteers likely should have won, but not a loss that ended the team's season by any measure.

Alabama's 30-14 victory against Vanderbilt this past weekend was the first game the Crimson Tide had this season against a team that defeated it in 2024. The tilt with Tennessee will represent the second such test of the 2025 campaign; all three will take place in Tuscaloosa. With two wins in the rivalry over the past three seasons, beating Alabama is no longer an elusive wall to break down for the resurgent Volunteers.

The Third Saturday in October this year will be a change of pace for the Crimson Tide from the Missouri game, which is also set to be nationally televised on ABC. That contest will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and emanate from Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.