Ranking Best Tennessee vs. Alabama Rivalry Games

The Tennessee-Alabama rivalry is one of the most storied in all of college football.

Since the first contest between the two teams ended in a 6-6 tie in 1901, the Third Saturday in October has been one of the sport's most streak-prone rivalries, with both teams typically gaining control of the series for long stretches of time.

Alabama currently holds a seven-game winning streak dating back to the 2007 contest, but before that, the Volunteers won 10 of 12 matchups, including a seven-game winning streak from 1995 to 2001.

However, with the Crimson Tide's recent ascension to the top of the college football world and Tennessee's coaching turnover, Alabama has gained a 50-38 lead in the all-time series record. 

Historically, Tennessee is second only to Alabama in total wins in the SEC, and longtime college football fans in the South still recognize this game as one of the premier contests in the conference. 

Here are five of the best and most important games in this rivalry in the modern era of college football. 

1982: Tennessee 35, No. 2 Alabama 28

WADE PAYNE/Associated Press

The 1982 season was Paul "Bear" Bryant's last as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

At that point, he had rattled off an 11-game winning streak over the Vols, including five in a row over Tennessee coach Johnny Majors.

However, Majors and his unranked Tennessee team managed to score a massive upset over the No. 2 Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium, after Mike Terry intercepted a potential game-tying pass in the end zone with 17 seconds left on the clock.

After the Bear's retirement, Majors strung together a four-game winning streak over the Tide before Alabama regained control of the series in 1986. 

1995: No. 6 Tennessee 41, No. 11 Alabama 14

On the first play in the 1995 edition of the Third Saturday in October, sophomore Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning connected with wide receiver Joey Kent for an 80-yard touchdown.

The rest of the evening was all Rocky Top, as Tennessee jumped out to a huge lead and began its longest winning streak to date over the Crimson Tide, while simultaneously ending Alabama's nine-year winning streak in the rivalry. 

Peyton Manning also debuted a naked bootleg touchdown run that night that is still in his bag of tricks as a veteran NFL quarterback—in fact, he used it to score an easy touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys as recently as last season.

2003: No. 22 Tennessee 51, Alabama 43 (5 OT)

The 2003 edition of the Crimson Tide was one of the worst teams ever fielded by Alabama. It finished 4-9 with losses to Northern Illinois and Hawaii.

But no loss that season was more frustrating for the Alabama faithful than a five-overtime defeat to Tennessee at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

The game featured one of the more astounding clutch plays in recent SEC history when Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen connected with C.J. Fayton on a 4th-and-19 desperation play with the Tide up 34-27 in the second overtime.

Tennessee went on to score to force a third overtime and eventually won the game 51-43 in a fifth overtime. 

2007: Alabama 41, No. 20 Tennessee 17

Rob Carr/Associated Press

Nick Saban may have lost to Louisiana-Monroe during his debut season as the Crimson Tide's head coach, but he did beat the Vols—and in very convincing fashion.

After Tennessee took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, the Tide stormed back and handily won the game that proved to be the foundation for Alabama's current winning streak in the rivalry.

Although the game didn't affect either team's season that much—Alabama finished 7-6 and Tennessee won the SEC East—it helped create the perception in the minds of many Vols fans that longtime coach Phillip Fulmer would be outmatched on the sidelines by the likes of Saban and then-Florida head coach Urban Meyer.

Fulmer got one more crack at Saban and the Tide in 2008, but lost, 29-9. After another loss at South Carolina the following week, his 17-year tenure as Tennessee's head coach was over. 

2009: No. 1 Alabama 12, Tennessee 10

In a game in which the Vols were supposed to have no chance, somehow Lane Kiffin and his unranked Tennessee squad were four seconds and a 44-yard field goal away from toppling No. 1 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But as fans of both teams are well aware, mammoth Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody's denied Daniel Lincoln's low kick—Cody's second blocked field-goal attempt of the day—and sent it wobbling harmlessly to the turf, protecting the Tide's dream season and national championship hopes in the process.

As heartbreaking as that game was for Tennessee fans, recent years haven't been any better.

In fact, Alabama's dominance in the series has only become more and more apparent with each passing season, as Saban piles up top-ranked recruiting class after top-ranked recruiting class. 

To add insult to injury, Kiffin, the last Tennessee coach to come close to beating Alabama, is now serving as the Tide's offensive coordinator.

History and tradition aisde, the Vols will have plenty to play for this weekend, but the talent mismatch and Tennessee's porous offensive line suggest the outcome won't look much different than it has every year since Saban took over in Tuscaloosa.