When was the last time Tennessee beat Alabama? [Updated 2022]

Tennessee can beat Alabama in the Third Saturday in October for the first time in a generation.

While the Third Saturday in October has long been a definitive college football rivalry in the SEC, it has been a minute since the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Historically, the Third Saturday in October has been all about victory cigars and lengthy winning streaks. Along with the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry (Auburn-Georgia), the Third Saturday in October is why cross-divisional rivalries exist in the SEC. Alabama may have plenty of rivals in the SEC, but there are times when the Crimson Tide are seen as the biggest rival for the Volunteers.

With No. 3 Alabama coming to No. 6 Tennessee, when was the last time the Vols got the best of the Crimson Tide on the football field?

When was the last time Tennessee beat Alabama?

Entering the 2022 game, the Crimson Tide have won 15 in a row. In a rivalry defined by winning streaks, this is the longest in its history. To date, the Crimson Tide hold a 58-38-8 lead in the series. So if you do the math, the last time the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide head-to-head was in 2006. Phillip Fulmer’s team beat Mike Shula’s squad, 16-13. Nick Saban was in the NFL…

Why do Alabama and Tennessee play on Third Saturday in October?

Obviously, the name of the rivalry between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers stems from the traditional date on which they play the game. With the 2022 installment being on Saturday, Oct. 15, it does fall on … the Third Saturday in October! While the game has not always been played on that particular date, it has been played annually in mid-to-late October since the late 1920s.

Overall, this game is usually a pretty strong indicator of where the SEC is as a whole. Very rarely are both programs firing on all cylinders at the same time. The lengthy winning streaks have everything to do with one program having a superior head coach over the other (Robert Neyland, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Johnny Majors, Gene Stallings, Phillip Fulmer, Nick Saban). Is the tide turning?

The winner of this game will be seen as the biggest challenger to Georgia in the SEC this season.

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