As the Alabama Crimson Tide make their return to Knoxville on Saturday for the latest edition of “The Third Saturday in October,” the program is set to do so without former head coach Nick Saban for the first time since 2006.
Instead, Kalen DeBoer will lead Alabama onto the field for the first time in the rivalry, and will likely have some lofty expectations to live up to against the Volunteers based on what Saban did vs. Tennessee during his time as the head coach of the Crimson Tide.
In all, Saban faced off against Tennessee a total of 17 times as head coach of the Crimson Tide, a span in which he held a combined 16-1 record.
Yes, the former Alabama head coach simply dominated the Volunteers during his time in Tuscaloosa, winning 15-straight games over the SEC rivals from 2007-21. Of those 15 games, only two were one-possession games, which came via a 12-10 home victory in 2009, as well as a 19-14 home win in 2015.
Alabama’s lone loss against Tennessee during Saban’s tenure was a 52-49 defeat back in 2022, with the Crimson Tide getting their revenge a year ago with a 34-20 victory in 2023.
With the Crimson Tide now set to play the first game against Tennessee of the DeBoer era Saturday, will it be yet another Alabama victory over the Volunteers?