Rivalry games are one of the many things that make college football great and largely differentiate them from professional sports. The Athletic released a list of its top 100 college football rivalries this week with five Tennessee rivalries making the cut.
The Athletic’s list ranks Tennessee-Alabama at No. 11, Tennessee-Florida at No. 36, Tennessee-Georgia at No. 53, Tennessee-Kentucky at No. 75 and Tennessee-Vanderbilt at No. 80.
Alabama is Tennessee’s most traditional rivalry with the Crimson Tide holding a 60-39-8 advantage in the history of the rivalry. Two of the SEC’s three winningest programs all time, the Vols and Crimson Tide first faced off in 1901.
The Crimson Tide dominated The Third Saturday in October under Nick Saban but the Vols have regained their footing in the rivalry under Josh Heupel, winning two of the series’ last three games. The rankings tabbed Tennessee’s 52-49 win in 2022 as the biggest game in the history of the rivalry.
There’s an extremely strong argument that this game should be higher on the list. The Wisconsin-Minnesota, Florida-Florida State, Ohio State-Penn State and Nebraska-Oklahoma are amongst the rivalry games ranked higher.
Tennessee and Florida was not a serious rivalry until the SEC split into divisions in 1992. Then playing every season, Tennessee-Florida became one of the SEC’s most significant games. Through the 90s, the game was one of the most important in the SEC and nation.
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The Gators have a 32-22 all-time advantage in the rivalry with the rankings listing Tennessee’s 20-17 (OT) win in 1998 at the rivalry’s biggest game.
Much like the Florida series, Tennessee didn’t play Georgia every year until the SEC’s split to divisions in 1992. Georgia owns a 29-23-2 advantage all time and has currently won eight straight games in the series.
Tennessee-Georgia has produced legendary moments like the Hob Nail Boot in 2001 and the Dobbs Nail Boot in 2016. But The Athletic went with the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in 2022, a 27-13 Georgia win, as the biggest game in the rivalry’s history.
The Athletic ranked Tennessee-Kentucky as the No. 75 rivalry in the history of the sport. The Vols’ own an 85-26-9 advantage in the series with the 59-win disparity marking the second largest in the history of the SEC. But the lopsided rivalry made the list because of the short drive from Knoxville to Lexington and the fact that it’s the third most played game in the history of the SEC.
Tennessee’s 52-50 4OT win to win the SEC East in 2007 is the biggest game in the history of the rivalry according to The Athletic.
The Vols’ last rivalry game on the list is their instate rivalry against Vanderbilt. Much like the Kentucky series, it’s a one-sided rivalry with Tennessee holding an 81-32-5 advantage. The one-sided nature is even more dramatic considering Vanderbilt won the first 10 games in the rivalry series.
