This is easily one of the biggest and best games of the season for Tennessee football. When it comes to the rivalry with the Alabama Crimson Tide, there's not much else that needs to be said. These two storied programs don't like one another and there's plenty of drama featured when they take the field.
Tennessee vs. Alabama final odds and a prediction for huge SEC battle
Such will be the case on Saturday, with No. 6 Alabama hosting No. 11 Tennessee. There are CFP implications for this one and there's also a ton of bragging rights and pride on the line too. This is something head man Josh Heupel knows all about, as he didn't mince words when asked what this contest means to both programs:
Josh Heupel previews Tennessee-Alabama, praises Peyton Lewis and Jadon Perlotte on The Mike Keith Show.
— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) October 17, 2025
“This is a really special football game and it’s one that everybody in both programs and fan bases point to.”
🔗 https://t.co/nzUEufjh1u #Vols
Josh Heupel knows what's at stake for Tennessee football going up against Alabama
"I think as much as anything, it’s this rivalry and the passion of the fan bases and what this game means historically to both programs and inside the landscape of college football," Heupel said via GoVols247. "This is a really special football game and it’s one that everybody in both programs and fan bases point to.”
Heupel pretty much hit the nail on the head there. This is one of the best rivalries in college sports and the Vols understand there's extra pressure on the line when taking on Alabama. The same can be said for the showdowns against Georgia.
Tennessee was in a spectacular spot to upset the Dawgs in Knoxville earlier this season, but Georgia won an overtime thriller. Tennessee has wiped that rough memory away with three consecutive wins over UAB, Mississippi State and Arkansas, but an incredibly difficult challenge vs. Bama is on the way.
Alabama is favored by 8.5 points, with not many analysts giving Joey Aguilar and his teammates much of a shot to pull off the upset. In these types of games, however, everything is thrown out the window and it's all about who wants it more. The Vols have the players on both sides of the ball to make a lot of people eat their words and it will be on Heupel to make sure they're all mentally ready for this titanic clash.