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Tennessee vs. Alabama
By Kevin Duffey
Last Updated:
The Tennessee vs. Alabama rivalry is steeped in tradition. The regular matchup of these teams has been dubbed the “Third Saturday in October” going back to 1939 even when sometimes due to scheduling issues, the game isn’t perfectly slotted on this third October Saturday.
Moreover, the rivalry is known for victory cigars. The tradition of the winning team smoking victory cigars goes back to the 1950s when Alabama trainer Jim Goostree handed out cigars following victory over the Vols. Due to potential NCAA violations around benefits and tobacco, the teams did the cigar ceremony behind closed doors for many years, but in 2005, Alabama restarted the tradition in the public eye and even self-reported the NCAA violation as a result.
The Tennessee-Alabama series has over 100 meetings going back to 1901 when they first met. The rivalry is one of streaks, where one team often dominates for years at a time. Alabama won every year between 1971-1981. Tennessee won 9 of 10 between 1995 and 2004. But, the longest streak belongs to the Crimson Tide, who won every year from 2007 to 2021 until the Vols ended it in dramatic fashion in 2022.
Below, check out the scores from the last 5 meetings between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers.
Last 5 Tennessee vs. Alabama Games
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A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
