The Third Saturday in October is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama and the Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. The respective campuses are located approximately apart. It is known as the Third Saturday in October because the game was traditionally played at such date prior to the 1992 football season, when the Southeastern Conference (SEC) split into its East and West divisions. From 2000 to 2025, it has only been scheduled on that date 13 times. Alabama leads the series 60–40–8. At 40 wins, Tennessee has more victories over Alabama than any other program in college football. Likewise, at 60 wins, Alabama has more victories over Tennessee than any other program in college football.
Series history The first game was played in 1901 in Birmingham, a 6–6 tie. From 1903 to 1913, Alabama dominated the series, only losing once and never allowing a touchdown by the Volunteers.
Beginning in 1928, the rivalry was scheduled on its "traditional" date. It has been renewed annually since then. Robert Neyland, namesake of Tennessee's present stadium, had arrived in Knoxville two years earlier and had begun challenging Alabama for the top of the Southern Conference standings, a push that continued when the two schools helped found the SEC in 1932. It was officially given the name Third Saturday in October 1939. Both Robert Neyland and Bear Bryant made the rivalry heated during their tenure at Tennessee and Alabama.
The Alabama–Tennessee game has been played in three locations: Birmingham, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In the first four (1901–1908) meetings, the game was held in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1909, the home and home series began, though most of Alabama's home games against Tennessee were played in Birmingham. The teams did play in Tuscaloosa a few times through 1930. The game was not played in Tuscaloosa from 1930 until 1999. Alabama leads the series in all three venues: for games contested in Birmingham, 21–14–6; in Knoxville, 27–22–1; and in Tuscaloosa, 12–4.
Alabama and Tennessee both have 12 shutouts in the series.
Victory cigars In the 1950s, Jim Goostree, the head athletic trainer for Alabama, began another tradition as he began handing out cigars following a victory over the Volunteers. Both teams continued the tradition for some time, though kept it secret due to NCAA rules concerning extra benefits and tobacco products. Alabama publicly restarted the tradition in 2005, though as a result, self-reported an NCAA violation. Every year since 2007, the winner of the Alabama–Tennessee game knowingly violates the NCAA rule and reports the violation in honor of tradition.
Streaks
The Alabama–Tennessee rivalry has been known for streaks. In the first major streak of the series, Bama won seven straight over the Vols from 1905 to 1913 (the two teams did not play in 1910 and 1911), outscoring the Vols 112–0 in the process.
Alabama had the longest winning streak of the series, extending 15 games from 2007 to 2021, until October 15, 2022, when Tennessee defeated Alabama 52–49, the first time Tennessee defeated Nick Saban during his tenure at Alabama. An eleven-game Alabama streak (1971–1981) was broken in 1982 when Johnny Majors led the Vols to an upset victory over Bear Bryant and the Tide.
Alabama had a nine-game unbeaten streak from 1986 to 1994, including a tie in 1993 which was later forfeited due to NCAA sanctions. The streak was broken by Tennessee in 1995 when the Vols beat the Tide 41–14, beginning their own seven game win streak which was broken in 2002 when Alabama defeated the Vols 34–14. To date, Alabama maintains the longest streak of victories over Tennessee at fifteen.
Game results Rankings are from the AP Poll
Results by location As of October 18, 2025 StateCityGamesAlabama victoriesTennessee victoriesTiesYears playedTennesseeKnoxville50272211909–presentAlabamaBirmingham41211461901–1912, 1932–1997Tuscaloosa1712401913–1930, 1999–present
Summary by decade As of October 18, 2025 YearsGamesAlabama victoriesTennessee victoriesTiesScore1900s8611Alabama 129–Tennessee 111910s3210Alabama 20–Tennessee 171920s2020Alabama 13–Tennessee 211930s10541Alabama 120–Tennessee 841940s9432Alabama 77–Tennessee 761950s10172Alabama 63–Tennessee 1351960s10541Alabama 176–Tennessee 1301970s10910Alabama 250–Tennessee 1401980s10640Alabama 340–Tennessee 2391990s10460Alabama 140–Tennessee 2202000s10450Alabama 219–Tennessee 1922010s101000Alabama 407–Tennessee 1242020s6420Alabama 237–Tennessee 157Total10860407Alabama 2,191–Tennessee 1,546
Coaching records As of October 18, 2025
Alabama Head CoachGamesSeasonsWinsLossesTiesWin %Kalen DeBoer22024–present1100.500Nick Saban172007–202316100.941Mike Shula42003–20061300.000Dennis Franchione22001–20021100.500Mike DuBose41997–20000400.000Gene Stallings71990–19964300.571Bill Curry31987–19893001.000Ray Perkins41983–19861300.250Bear Bryant251958–198216720.696Jennings B. Whitworth31955–19570300.000Harold Drew81947–19542420.375Frank Thomas151931–19467620.533Wallace Wade31923–19301200.333D.V Graves31911–19142100.666J.W.H. Pollard41906–19094001.000Jack Leavenworth119051001.000W.B. Blount21903–19041100.500M.S. Harvey119010010.500
Tennessee Head CoachGamesSeasonsWinsLossesTiesWin %Josh Heupel42021–present2300.400Jeremy Pruitt32018–20200300.000Butch Jones52013–20170500.000Derek Dooley32010–20120300.000Lane Kiffin120090100.000Phillip Fulmer161992–200811500.733Johnny Majors161977–199241200.250Bill Battle71970–19761600.143Doug Dickey61964–19693210.583Jim McDonald119630100.000Bowden Wyatt81955–19625210.688Harvey Robinson21953–19540110.250Robert Neyland191926–1934, 1936–1940, 1946–195212520.684John Barnhill41941–1942, 1944–19450310.125W.H. Britton119350100.000Zora Clevenger31911–19151200.333George Levene31907–19090300.000James DePree21905–19060200.000Sax Crawford119041001.000Hubert Fisher11902–19030100.000Gilbert Kelly119010010.500
Notable games
1901: 1901 was the first meeting between the two teams. It ended early in a 6–6 tie, when fans rushed onto the field after a controversial offside call and the umpires were unable to clear out the crowd in the second half. In the game, J. L. Broug scored for Tennessee and A. W. Stewart scored for Alabama.
1903: Alabama recorded their first victory in the series with a 24–0 victory in Birmingham.
1904: Tennessee recorded their first victory in the series with a 5–0 victory in Birmingham.
1909: The 1909 meeting of the series was the first to be played in Knoxville. Tennessee fans chased referee R. T. Elgin away from the stadium. Elgin jumped aboard a moving streetcar.
1939: In 1939, #5 Tennessee defeated Alabama 21–0. At this time, the Alabama–Tennessee rivalry was officially designated as Third Saturday in October.
1950: Alabama had a 3–0 first quarter lead with his 20-yard field goal. Tennessee responded with a two-yard Andy Kozar touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Vols a 7–3 halftime lead. After a 43-yard Bobby Marlow touchdown run in the third gave Alabama a 9–7 lead, Kozar scored the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-one play, from the Alabama one-yard line, with less than one minute remaining in the game for a 14–9 Tennessee victory.
1951: The matchup between Alabama and Tennessee was the first game of football played in the Deep South to be televised.
1964: In 1964, David Ray gave the Crimson Tide an early 3–0 lead after he connected on a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter. Alabama then extended their lead to 16–0 at halftime with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a one-yard Steve Sloan run and the second after Wayne Cook blocked a Tennessee punt that Gaylon McCollough returned 22-yards for a touchdown. The Volunteers cut the Tide's lead in half to 16–8 with a seven-yard Hal Wantland touchdown run and two-point conversion in the third quarter. A 23-yard Ray field goal in the fourth quarter provided for the final 19–8 Alabama victory.
1965: In a game that saw multiple turnovers result in failed touchdown opportunities, Alabama tied Tennessee 7–7 at Legion Field. After a scoreless first quarter, both teams scored their only touchdown in the second. Stan Mitchell scored first for the Vols on a one-yard run and Steve Sloan followed for Alabama with his one-yard run. The Crimson Tide had a chance to win the game in the final minute of the game. With only 0:36 remaining in the game, Alabama had possession at the Tennessee six-yard line. However, Alabama quarterback Ken Stabler thought the Tide gained a first down on the previous play and threw the ball out-of-bounds on a fourth down play and turned the ball over on downs back to the Vols. Tennessee then ran out the clock for the tie.
1966: A week following Alabama's win over Clemson, Alabama regained the No. 3 position in the AP Poll prior to the game against Tennessee. At a rain-soaked Neyland Stadium, Alabama overcame a 10–0 fourth quarter deficit and defeated the Vols 11–10 and preserved their perfect record. Tennessee scored all of their points in the first quarter. The first points came on a six-yard Dewey Warren touchdown pass to Austin Denney and next on a 40-yard Gary Wright field goal for a 10–0 lead. Still up by 10, the Crimson Tide made their comeback in the fourth quarter. Ken Stabler scored on a one-yard touchdown run and then successfully converted the two-point conversion on a short pass to Wayne Cook that made the score 10–8. With 3:23 left in the game, Steve Davis kicked the 17-yard, game-winning field goal that made the score 11–10. The Volunteers did manage to set up a 19-yard field goal attempt that went wide in the final 0:20 of the contest. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–19–7.
1967: In 1967, both Alabama and Tennessee were ranked in top ten. The game started with Walter Chadwick scored on a one-yard touchdown run for the Vols, Alabama responded with an eight-yard touchdown that tied the game 7–7 at the end of the first quarter. The score remained tied at the half after a scoreless second quarter.
Tennessee then took a 17–7 lead in the third quarter on an 11-yard Chadwick touchdown pass to Ken DeLong and a 47-yard Karl Kremser field goal. Alabama responded with their final points early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Ed Morgan touchdown run, but a pass was later intercepted by Albert Dorsey and returned 31-yards for a touchdown and a 24–13 Vols victory. The Tennessee win was also their first over the Crimson Tide since the 1960 season.
1968: In 1968, coach Bryant decide to go for the victory instead of a tie in the final minutes of the game, and after the failed two-point conversion the Volunteers held onto a 10–9 victory at Knoxville. Tennessee took an early 7–0 lead in the first quarter after Richmond Flowers scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Alabama responded later in the quarter with a 28-yard Mike Dean field goal that made the score 7–3. The score remained the same through the fourth quarter when Karl Kremser kicked what was then a SEC record 54-yard field goal that extended the Volunteers lead to 10–3.
After the Tennessee field goal, the Crimson Tide had their most sustained drive of the game. The 80-yard drive culminated in a four-yard Donnie Sutton touchdown reception from Scott Hunter that made the score 10–9. However, instead of playing for the tie and kicking the extra point, coach Bryant elected to go for the win on a two-point conversion. On the attempt, Joe Kelley failed to complete the pass to Sutton and Tennessee won the game as a result 10–9.