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Should Tennessee have to play Alabama every year?

By Matt Green

Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Alvin Kamara (6) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Third Saturday in October is one of the biggest rivalries in SEC football, but it is not as competitive as it once was.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers have played every year since 1944, and 98 times overall. Alabama leads the all-time series 53-38-7.

Tennessee had won 10 out of 12 against Alabama from 1995 to 2006. But Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa in 2007, and so did the Crimson Tide’s winning streak over the Vols.

The longest streak in the history of this rivalry was when Alabama won 11 straight contests from 1971 to 1981, but that will most likely change this season. The Crimson Tide currently have a 10-game winning streak in the series.

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And that leads us to a recent story written by John Adams for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Adams says that Tennessee shouldn’t have to play Alabama every year.

This story came out about a week after Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs and former Auburn head coach Pat Dye said that Auburn should move to the SEC East, making people jump to the conclusion that everyone is running from the Crimson Tide.

In Adams’ story, there was one point that stood out above the rest.

“I know the counterpoint: Rivalries are cyclical.” Adams writes. “There are ups and downs in every series. But here’s Tennessee’s problem: When Alabama is up, it’s really up. It doesn’t just have a good stretch. It goes full dynasty.”

When the SEC expanded to 14 teams in 2012, it effectively ruined the balance of conference scheduling. The SEC West has been stronger than the SEC East for nearly a decade now, making scheduling that much more critical.

Here’s a look at the combined records of the cross-division opponents on each SEC East team’s schedule since 2012. And in parenthesis are each team’s record against the SEC West during that time.

Nov 26, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt won 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Florida: 88-40 (5-5)

Georgia: 81-50 (7-3)

Kentucky: 84-47 (1-9)

Missouri: 88-42 (5-5)

South Carolina: 71-56 (3-7)

Tennessee: 109-28 (0-10)

Vanderbilt: 77-51 (3-7)

Tennessee’s opponents from the West are an astounding 109-28 over the past five years, which is 21 wins more than anyone else in the SEC has faced.

And maybe even more surprising, the Volunteers are 0-10 against the SEC West during that time. And if you go back to 2011, a year prior to the data, Tennessee played Alabama and LSU, the two teams that played for the BCS National Championship. You have to go back to 2010 to find the last time Tennessee won a game against the SEC West.

Alabama is 64-7 over the last five years. Kentucky is the only other team in the SEC East to play Alabama more than once over the past five years, while Vanderbilt and South Carolina haven’t played the Crimson Tide at all.

We all know life isn’t fair, but we’re not talking about life. We’re talking about sports. And in sports, rules are always changing in order to make the game more fair.

I’m sure people would call Tennessee crybabies if they pushed to eliminate their locked rivalry with Alabama, but the reality is it’s not fair. And if it was you team, you would be crying too.

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