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Tennessee football has played Alabama 10 other times with both teams in top 10

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 23, 1999; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jamal Lewis (31) leaping into the end zone against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 1999; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jamal Lewis (31) leaping into the end zone against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports /
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Assorted notes and sketched plays by Robert Neyland are part of an exhibit named “Lighting the Way” currently on display at Hodges Library on campus on Monday, August 26, 2019.Kns Utyear1 0930 Bp Jpg
Assorted notes and sketched plays by Robert Neyland are part of an exhibit named “Lighting the Way” currently on display at Hodges Library on campus on Monday, August 26, 2019.Kns Utyear1 0930 Bp Jpg /

0. 829. 21. 839. Final

Oct. 21, 1939

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This was the peak of the golden years for Tennessee football. The Vols went undefeated in the regular seasons of 1938, 1939 and 1940, winning three straight SEC Championships and two national championships under Robert Neyland. All three times, they faced Alabama when both teams were undefeated.

However, in 1938 and 1940, the AP Poll didn’t come out until the Monday after UT and Alabama played. This was the only year in which it debuted. The Vols were No. 5 in the nation thanks to a 3-0 start. Alabama was No. 8, also thanks to a 3-0 start.

UT was clearly the better team, though. They were on a 16-game winning streak, and they had shut out their previous eight opponents. It’s safe to say their emergence in Neyland’s second stint is what led to Alabama, still elite, taking a bit of a back seat during this time under Frank Thomas.

Well, Rocky Top dominated this game 21-0 en route to extending that winning streak to 23 games. They became the last team to go undefeated, untied and unscored on in the regular season, shutting out everybody, making for a 15-game shutout streak.

Next. Ranking Vols' 10 wins with GameDay on hand. dark

For context, Tennessee football and Alabama also met with both teams undefeated in 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932 and 1934. That 1928 to 1932 run between Neyland and Wallace Wade and Thomas is how the rivalry exploded, as the Vols were Alabama’s only loss in 1932, and Alabama was their only loss in 1930. No polls existed then, though.

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