Alabama now knows when it will head to Knoxville.
The Crimson Tide’s road game at Tennessee is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Neyland Stadium. The TV network will be announced later.
This meeting comes after Alabama handled the Volunteers 37-20 on Oct. 18, 2025. Ty Simpson threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but the defining moment belonged to Zabien Brown, who returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown as the first half expired.
The series still tilts heavily toward Alabama. The Crimson Tide lead the all-time matchup 61-39-8, with the rivalry dating back to Nov.
28, 1901. Alabama is 27-22-1 in games at Tennessee and has taken eight of the last 10 overall.
Even so, the Volunteers have won the last two games played in Knoxville.
There will also be a change to the look of the rivalry in the years ahead. For the first time since 1970, Alabama and Tennessee have agreed to wear their “home” jerseys for the annual Third Saturday in October in 2026 and 2027. Alabama will wear crimson in Knoxville while Tennessee wears orange, and the same setup will be used next season in Tuscaloosa.
The matchup history also includes the years both teams shared Legion Field from 1932-97, with the last Alabama home-and-home game in Birmingham coming on Oct. 18, 1969. During that stretch, both programs often wore their home jerseys together.
For now, though, Alabama’s attention is elsewhere. Kalen DeBoer and the No.
6 Crimson Tide have already turned toward this Saturday’s home showdown with No. 2 Georgia.
Nick Saban and ESPN’s College GameDay crew are set for Tuscaloosa, and President Donald Trump will also be in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
In Other News...
Alabama May Have A New Wrinkle Georgia Can't Ignore
Alabamas blowout win over Mississippi State offered more than just points on the scoreboard. In a wrinkle that stood out to anyone watching closely, the Tide leaned on the I formation at times, giving the offense a different look under center and adding another layer to an attack that has already found ways to stress defenses. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb addressed the approach in his Monday press conference, pointing to the way the group handled itself when asked to run the ball from that alignment.
There was a hiccup on the first I formation snap, a fumble that briefly interrupted the momentum, but Grubb still came away encouraged by the physical work up front. He singled out the offensive line and tight ends for the way they executed the look, and the possibility of building around it more in 2026 gives Alabama another intriguing piece to keep in mind as bigger tests loom. For a Georgia defense preparing to dissect every tendency, even a small shift like this can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Grubb Sees One Alabama Concern Georgia Could Punish
Ryan Grubb came away from Alabamas 56-23 win over Mississippi State pleased enough with the overall direction of the offense, but not quite ready to let the Tide off the hook. The offensive coordinator pointed to some early miscues, including decision making and sacks that need to be cleaned up, even while praising a running game that produced no negative runs for the first time since his arrival. He also noted Daniel Hills rare, uncharacteristic fumble as the kind of mistake Alabama can get away with against some opponents, but not as many as it would like.
No. 2 Georgia is next, and that is where those little lapses start to matter more. Alabama is set to host a defense that will be far less forgiving than Mississippi State, which makes Grubbs concerns more than just postgame housekeeping. The Tide have shown they can move the ball and control stretches of a game, but the margin for error shrinks fast when the opponent on the other sideline is built to punish shaky protection, loose ball security and the kind of early-game indecision Alabama has already identified. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A Sideline Concern Heading Into Georgia This Weekend
President Donald Trumps upcoming trip to the Georgia-Alabama game adds an unusual layer to what is already one of the SECs biggest matchups. For Alabama, the issue is not the crowd or the stage so much as the sideline logistics, since Secret Service protocols can create communication hiccups for coaching staffs trying to operate normally in real time.
Alabama coaches said they have dealt with similar situations before, including Trumps previous visit and other games when headsets failed, so the Tide are not entering the weekend unprepared. Still, both teams may have to adjust on the fly if the usual flow of communication gets interrupted, making the game plan only part of the challenge in Athens. [Read more 🡒]