BamaCentral 22 for ‘22: Who are Alabama's Three Biggest Rivals?

With the potential for a nine-game conference schedule on the horizon, today's entry in the series discusses who Alabama's three permanent opponents should be.

After falling one win short of adding a 19th national title last season, Alabama will look to rebound and take the next step this year. The Crimson Tide returns a loaded roster, including reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young and a rebuilt offense as well as one of the most talented defenses in the Nick Saban era.

Alabama will open its season on Sept. 3 when it hosts Utah State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. To help pass the time, BamaCentral’s Joey Blackwell, Tony Tsoukalas and Katie Windham will discuss 22 topics and questions concerning the 2022 season.

Due to the discussions at last week's SEC Spring Meetings regarding potential conference scheduling changes, we continue our series by asking the following: who are Alabama's biggest rivals?

Blackwell's Take:

With conference realignment inevitable due to the future additions of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, there’s been a lot of discussion regarding what the new schedules will look like. According to conference commissioner Greg Sankey, a nine-game SEC schedule with three permanent opponents is the likely option.

With Alabama having so many teams that consider it a rival, It might be difficult to whittle down to three permanent opponents. That being said, the answer to the question is rather simple to most Alabama fans.

Regardless of who the other two teams are, the first team that is an absolute must is Auburn. I’m sure that I’ll receive next to no pushback from that. The Iron Bowl is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — rivalry in college athletics, so keeping Auburn as a permanent opponent is a no-brainer.

For the second opponent, the Third Saturday in October rivalry is also a must. The Alabama/Tennessee game might have lost a little bit of its luster over the past 15 years, but that doesn’t make it any less important of a game for either fanbase. Like it or not, Crimson Tide fans, but sooner or later the Volunteers are going to win. That might not be this year or the year after, but someday. And when that happens, the rivalry will no doubt be made anew.

For the third and final opponent, this writer opts for LSU. Texas A&M certainly deserves an honorable mention as a rivalry that has grown slowly but surely since the days of Johnny Manziel, but the utter contempt between Alabama and LSU is undeniable. While most probably wouldn’t admit it, both fanbases would likely be disappointed if the game wasn’t an annual matchup.

Tsoukalas' Take:

The first two are easy. Taking the Iron Bowl off the schedule is out of the question. In fact, doing so would likely bring upon the apocalypse — at least in the state of Alabama. The Third Saturday in October also has to stay, even though it has lost a bit of its luster in recent years. Seeing the cigar smoke billowing up from Bryant-Denny Stadium and Neyland Stadium on a fall afternoon or evening just encapsulates what college football is all about.

With those two locked down, I’m going to go a little out of the box by picking Texas A&M as my third permanent rival for Alabama. Sure, the Aggies only joined the SEC in 2012, and the matchup doesn’t have a catchy name. But there’s certainly a storm brewing between the two programs.

Johnny Manziel laid down some kindling when he led Texas A&M to an upset win at Alabama in 2012. The Aggies then stoked the fire last year as their fans stormed Kyle Field following another upset victory in College Station, Texas. Nick Saban’s recent spat with Jimbo Fisher should light another match while Texas A&M’s oil money and NIL deals have the ability to fan the flames even further.

It would be tough to lose the annual game against LSU, and Georgia would also be an interesting yearly opponent. However, it’s still Auburn, Tennessee and Texas A&M for me.

Windham's Take:

While Alabama's dominance over the last 15 years under Nick Saban has certainly altered the way people view some of the program's traditional rivalries, I would argue that the Crimson Tide's three biggest rivals haven't changed. 

With Alabama football being a national brand and players coming in from all over the country, I don't think the players sometimes understand the magnitude of these rivalries. But for the fans from the state of Alabama, these rivalries still run true as ever. 

One rivalry that certainly hasn't lost its luster is the Iron Bowl. Auburn is the program that has given Saban the most fits throughout his tenure in Tuscaloosa. The head coach has lost to Auburn more times than any other opponent at Alabama. There have been several epic Iron Bowl matchups, including last year's four OT victory for the Crimson Tide. Simply because of the proximity and in-state ties between these two schools, this rivalry will never go away.

On the other hand, Alabama has never lost to Tennessee under Saban. Some might think this diminishes the rivalry. The newest generation of Crimson Tide fans may not understand the dislike for Tennessee, but talking to any older fan about Peyton Manning or Phillip Fulmer will quickly clear up any confusion. Even though there have been few close games in recent memory, the traditions like cigars for the winners or even the "Third Saturday in October" name leave this rivalry with too much history to end.

With Texas and Oklahoma joining the league, some rivalries will inevitably be cut. As long as the Crimson Tide plays Auburn and Tennessee each year, Alabama's two biggest will remain intact. LSU would be considered the more traditional third rival, but Georgia has moved up the ranks in recent years with several epic matchups between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. The two teams rarely meet in the regular season, but continued success has matched them up in the postseason several times. 

Kirby Smart finally defeated his former boss in the national title game, and as long as both coaches are still at their respective schools, this budding rivalry doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon. 

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