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

3. 1930: Alabama 18 Tennessee 6

With a series that dates back to 1901, you’ve got to go back in time to determine the importance of some of these games.

When you talk about a game that did determine a conference and national championship, this is one you point to. We have to go back before the formation of the SEC.

This was the third game in the series after the Tennessee vs Alabama rivalry became an annual event. The Vols had emerged into a dominant program and a Southern Conference Power under Gen. Robert Neyland. But Wallace Wade had done the same at Alabama.

Wade had won three national championships, though, and Neyland was still looking for his first. This year, both teams started the year undefeated. For a point of interest, that was often the case back in these days. So we had to narrow it down to the seasons where the game actually did have a long-term impact.

This was one of those games.

The winner of this game would be the clear winner of the Southern Conference and likely be declared national champions at the end of the year. Alabama got the best of Tennessee with an 18-6 victory. As a result, they finished the year 10-0 and 8-0 in the conference.

Tennessee finished 9-1 and 6-1 in the conference. This sole game made the difference in who won the national championship and Southern Conference championship. That spells a game with huge magnitude.