Tennessee Sees Third Saturday in October as 'Business as Usual' Without Nick Saban

The legendary Alabama coach went 16-1 in the historic rivalry before retiring.

Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Kobe Prentice (80) runs the ball against Tennessee Volunteers defensive back De'Shawn Rucker (28) during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports / © Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS --- The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is in for a unique season, as the organization transitions from legendary head coach Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer while balancing the expectations of a rabid fanbase that still plans for a deep run in the expanded College Football Playoff.

The Crimson Tide has several high-profile road games in 2024 with treks to Wisconsin, Oklahoma and LSU, but no away game holds more attention for the Alabama fanbase than the Third Saturday in October.

Saban sucked the majority of the excitement out of the rivalry during his tenure in Tuscaloosa, winning 16 of 17 matchups against the Tennessee Volunteers by an average of 21.25 points. Despite the dominance, the intensity of the rivalry was returned into the veins of both fanbases after the Vols broke a 15-year losing streak in the matchup in Neyland Stadium in 2022.

Alabama got its revenge in 2023, and while the college football world didn't realize it at the time, Saban's victory lap around the stadium served as his swan song in the rivalry.

The Crimson Tide heads back to Neyland Stadium for the first time after losing the three-point heartbreaker in 2022, this time with a new leader on the sidelines.

"Yeah. I'm not sure anybody pictured two South Dakotans being in the SEC a few years ago," said Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel on Tuesday. "Kalen is somebody that I've known for a long time. I was a little bit younger, watched him as an athlete and then through our coaching paths have crossed and stayed in contact at different times. Excited to have him in the league, great person, great coach, and we'll be ready for Saturday in October."

Despite the changes in the Crimson Tide program, the rivalry remains, and for the Tennessee representatives at SEC Media Days in Dallas, so does the mission.

"I think it will be business as usual. [Alabama's] a great team and they always give us a really good performance and we just got to be better that day," said Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays.

The most obvious difference between Saban and DeBoer is their specialization from defense to offense, but the Volunteers are adamant that the focus must remain on themselves.

"I think all coaches are different so obviously there will be changes from a coaching standpoint because they all are different, and we'll just have to approach that like any other team and be ready go out there and compete and prepare very well to compete at a high level," said Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas.

The faces on the Alabama sideline may have changed, but the significance of the rivalry remains high due to the longstanding connections that permeate through both SEC powers.

"It means a whole lot to me, growing up being from Memphis, being able to know that like - you hear the Third Saturday in October you know what it stands for," said Thomas. "That's just something that obviously when it becomes the third Saturday in October everybody will be pumped up, everybody will be happy, but we can't get so focused on that. We've just got to be able to do what we do week in and week out, but the Third Saturday in October does mean a lot."