For a second straight year, the Third Saturday in October rivalry won't fall on the third weekend of the month. Other than that, No. 4 Alabama is hoping its annual grudge match against Tennessee keeps to its typical recent trend.
Alabama (6-1, 3-1 in the SEC) is looking for its 15th straight victory over Tennessee (4-3, 2-2) as it plays host to the Volunteers on Saturday. The Crimson Tide is currently a 25-point favorite for the 6 p.m. CT kickoff inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Here are five things to watch heading into the matchup.
Holden's beginning to break out
There’s a video clip from Bryce Young’s days as a Southern California commit where the five-star quarterback was pushing Traeshon Holden to join him with the Trojans.
“Traeshon Holden, Alabama commit,” Young said at the time, making a face and putting air quotes on the latter half of the statement. “I don’t really believe it. I think he’s bluffing. We’re working on Traeshon.”
As fate would have it, the two did indeed end up playing together in college. However, it was Young who changed paths as he flipped to Alabama in September of 2019. This season, the Tide is beginning to reap the rewards of that pairing.
