“Rivalry” is the one word that’s enough to leave the college football fans’ blood boiling, and Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide has a handful of it. Among Alabama’s rivalry list, many also have rich traditions that date back nearly a hundred years. You name them- Alabama vs Mississippi State have been locking horns since 1896. The Alabama vs Oklahoma rivalry has run since 1963. As the list continues, ESPN’s Rece Davis has voted for that one Alabama rivalry that they can’t afford to put a stop to. 

That’s none other than their rivalry with Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers. The rivalry holds so much importance in Alabama’s history that it now has a dedicated name to it. It is known as ‘The Third Saturday in October’. Just like the ones mentioned above, the rivalry has been continuing for decades. The first face-off between Alabama and Tennessee happened on November 28, 1901. Now what did Davis say? 

On September 12, DawgNation posted a clip of Rece Davis’ recent interview. “The new SEC schedules will have three set teams. What three set rivalries do you want to see from Tennessee?” the reporter asked. Davis started by referring to the scheduling shift. He reminds listeners that not all rivalries were annual in the past. Tennessee vs. Georgia, being the biggest example, as the face-off wasn’t guaranteed every year until the SEC expanded. That’s when he rooted for the Alabama vs. Tennessee rivalry. “You’ve got to keep Alabama because while that’s the most important rivalry to Tennessee, got to keep Alabama. So that’s off the table. That’s done. That has to happen,” said Davis.

In the all-time series, DeBoer’s Alabama enjoys a lead at the moment, owning a 60-39-8 advantage head-to-head against the Volunteers. This covers an 8-2 record over the last 10 meetings dating back to 2015. Last time they met was on October 19, and the Vols crushed Alabama in a 24-17 feat. Now, why is the Alabama-Tennessee football rivalry called ‘Third Saturday in October’?

That’s because of the date the game is traditionally played. Last season, October 19 was the third Saturday. However, the 2021 game was an exception as it was played on October 23, the fourth Saturday in October. This season, it’s on October 18 – again, a third Saturday in October.

Now, while the hype is all around, what do Alabama and Clemson bring to the table this season?

The bitter truth looming over the Alabama Crimson Tide

Right now, Alabama must be going through a rough patch. They had hit a nose-dive in their season opener against Florida State. But DeBoer’s boys made up for the loss in Week 2, coming up with a 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. But here persists a nagging problem. The Alabama that Tennessee faced off for so long does not exist. 

“I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me,” Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos came with a blunt remark a couple of months ago. This was further doubled down by Johnny Manziel. He said, “The team, you got a little fear. That fear aspect of what Alabama is completely gone. And nobody’s scared of them boys. Not Vandy, not Kentucky, not nobody. Nobody’s walking in and seeing Alabama on the schedule and having any kind of shake, any kind of fear, nothing.”

Forget bulked-up teams like Tennessee; even bottom-tier SEC teams like Vanderbilt or mid-tier programs like Kentucky refuse to see Alabama as their threat. Cut to Heupel’s squad. Tennessee is not the old Vols without their old weapon, Nico Iamaleava. As before their season opener, Will Compton had raised doubts, “I like the 13 and a half against a Tennessee team who they’re going to be very good defensively, but I don’t know who they’re going to be offensively without Nico.” 

Tennessee’s replacement for Iamaleava, Joey Aguilar, ran strong in his first two games in the Vols camp but had hit a speedbump in an ugly moment, a fumble against ETSU. While we are yet to figure out who adds a score from the ‘Third Saturday in October’, ESPN dropped a big news.

Analyst Chris Low shared, “The so-called must-win game in 2025 is the Oct. 18 home matchup against Tennessee, aka the Third Saturday in October. 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. The Vols have won two of the past three games in the series.” To them, it will be the most impactful game of the 2025 season. Let’s see which way luck takes its turn.