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10 Times the Tennessee vs Alabama Game Meant the Most to Both the Vols and the Tide

By Caleb Calhoun

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Apr 11, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; A general view of Legion field prior to the Sons of UAB alumni flag football game at Legion Field. While other schools around the country are planning spring scrimmages for their current teams and fans, former UAB players are making sure the Blazers get at least one more game at Legion Field. Coach Bill Clark started the alumni game last spring after his hiring and it
Apr 11, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; A general view of Legion field prior to the Sons of UAB alumni flag football game at Legion Field. While other schools around the country are planning spring scrimmages for their current teams and fans, former UAB players are making sure the Blazers get at least one more game at Legion Field. Coach Bill Clark started the alumni game last spring after his hiring and it /

1. 1945: Alabama 25 Tennessee 7

We move onto another game in the Tennessee vs Alabama series that pretty much determined everything. And with AP rankings now in existence, you could measure the magnitude of this game when it was being played.

Under John Barnhill, filling in for Gen. Robert Neyland, the Vols had proven they could still field a great football program with Top 20 finishes in 1941, 1942, and 1944, while they cancelled the season in 1943 due to World War II.

But this year, the program exploded onto the scene. The week before the Alabama game, they beat No. 18 ranked Chattanooga 30-0. Now, they were traveling to Legion Field to take on a No. 6 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide team in a game that would clearly determine the SEC Champion.

Alabama, unfortunately, dominated Tennessee from start to finish to win the game at home. They would go on to finish the season 10-0 under Frank Thomas and beat the USC Trojans 34-14 in the Rose Bowl.

Although they finished the year ranked No. 2 in the AP, they can call themselves national champions for the year.

Meanwhile, the Vols would finish 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC and would have no leg to stand on in the national championship debate. That made this a huge game and a huge loss in the long run, even if it was a boring game to view.

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