Ahead of Saturday’s showdown between Tennessee Football and Alabama in Knoxville, you will have likely heard at some point about the Crimson Tide’s dominance over the Volunteers in recent years.
Well, then I guess the only question left to answer is, just how dominant has Alabama been against Tennessee in recent years?
When was the last time Tennessee Football beat Alabama?
Entering Saturday’s matchup between the No. 3 Crimson Tide and No. 6 Volunteers, Alabama is currently on a 15-game head-to-head winning streak over Tennessee, one that dates back to 2007. A rivalry that dates back to 1901 overall, the Crimson Tide’s 15-game winning streak in “The Third Saturday in October” is the longest of the rivalries history, with Tennessee’s last victory having come back in 2006.
In fact, since Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide have not lost to Tennessee.
Taking a deeper look as well, only two meetings between Alabama and Tennessee since Saban took over in Tuscaloosa have been ranked-vs-ranked matchups, with this season being the third. As we tweeted earlier this week as well, only one of those two meetings have come when the Crimson Tide and Volunteers were both ranked in the Top 10 like they are entering Saturday, with that matchup not ending well in Tennessee’s favor.
Alabama currently holds a 15-game winning streak against Tennessee, with only one of those meetings coming when the Crimson Tide and Volunteers were both ranked in the Top 10.
— Southbound and Down (@SouthboundDown) October 13, 2022
The game? 2016 in Knoxville between No. 1 Alabama and No. 9 Tennessee.
The result? 49-10 Alabama.
So, now that we know that Tennessee last beat Alabama in 2006, let’s take a look back at that matchup, which just so happened to be the last time the Crimson Tide played the Volunteers as a team ranked outside of the Top 10.
Back in 2006, No. 7 Tennessee defeated unranked Alabama in Knoxville by a final of 16-13, a game in which the Crimson Tide actually held a 13-6 lead entering the fourth quarter before being outscored 10-0 across the game’s final frame. The head coaches for each team were Phillip Fulmer and Mike Shula, while the quarterback matchup featured John Parker Wilson for the Crimson Tide against Erik Ainge for the Volunteers.
This rivalry has also had some moments in recent years where Tennessee Football almost upset the Crimson Tide as well, most notably in 2009 and 2015, with both games taking place in Tuscaloosa.
So, can the Volunteers potentially pick up their first win over Alabama since 2006 on Saturday?