And let’s face it, those colors look great on the field together too. Still, it’s a storied rivalry with a lot of history. What was once a game that had its own name - “The Third Saturday in October” - is not just “Another Game Played in October.” Tennessee appears on the come up and should be competitive, but even that might not be able to save what this rivalry once was.
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There was a time when the Volunteers not being second on this list would have ruffled a lot of feathers, and it might still in some corners, but UT’s lack of competitiveness - both in this series and as a program - over the past 15 years combined with the rise of Alabama as the game’s greatest dynasty has created a perception that might not be able to be overcome. Before Alabama went on a run of 15 consecutive wins after Nick Saban arrived, this series was separated by only five Crimson Tide wins. With that said, you can’t entirely throw out the past. Alabama has dominated the all-time series historically, but there’s no question this game has replaced the annual Tennessee game in terms of importance and excitement in Crimson Tide fans’ eyes.īecause this list is meant to take into account the past as well as the future, LSU projects as more of a rival than Tennessee.Īlabama has won 15 in a row against Tennessee, but the rivalry has a lot of history. There have been three overtime games during that span (2008, 20). These teams have combined to win eight national championships during that time, including playing against each other in the 2011 BCS title game. It’s been played so often in prime time that it was literally significant news a couple of years ago when it was instead slotted in the SEC’s main spot on CBS at 3:30 ET. No game has meant more to the SEC over the past 15 years than Alabama-LSU.
Alabama and Auburn deserve each other every season. In the aftermath, you can’t consume any content that references the loss. It’s akin to having the wind knocked out of you. Then there was heartbreak those who don’t get sports can never understand. But there it was with under a minute remaining with a lead on the eventual SEC champions. It was a struggling team playing out the string.
Last year is a perfect example of why this game means so much. All of that combines for a delicious hatred that plays out on the gridiron once a year. These two programs do not like each other - a characteristic nearly all the best rivalries have - and both reside in the same state. With all apologies to Ohio State and Michigan, this is the greatest rivalry in college football and arguably in all of sports. There really isn’t any debate on this one other than for trolling purposes. With that in mind, here goes one person’s ranking of all 15 SEC opponents - including Oklahoma and Texas - to try to tackle those criteria. Any subjective list is certain to bring forth disagreement and debate, but it’s a good exercise to begin thinking about which games you want to protect, eschew or promote. That is, which SEC games fans want more of and which games are less desirable. In an effort to do both - celebrate the history while welcoming a new day - I took a swing at what new priorities should be for the future of the Crimson Tide’s conference schedule. That doesn’t mean one has to be beholden to the past, but given the sport’s deep-rooted embrace of its history, swinging too far away from it seems unwise. In a sea of change in the sport, nothing seems safe from the chop of the seemingly uncharted waters as the SEC considers its options in a possible division-less future, including eight conference games with one protected opponent and nine conference games with three protected opponents.īut the sport would be wise to embrace the comfortable for fans even amid all the transformation. There’s been much discussion about SEC scheduling of late, the direction the conference is leaning and how it pertains to the future of Alabama football.
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