The kickoff time and broadcast details are set for Tennessee football’s rivalry matchup against Alabama on the Third Saturday in October. Kickoff between the Vols and Crimson Tide is at 7:30 p.m. ET and ABC is broadcasting the game, the SEC announced Monday.
ABC chose Tennessee-Alabama in the primetime slot over Ole Miss-Georgia in the afternoon ABC afternoon slot.
It’s the first time that Tennessee is playing in the night time slot this season. The Vols have played three games in the afternoon slot this season, previously faced ETSU and Mississippi State in the afternoon time slot and also faces Arkansas at 4:15 p.m. ET this week. Tennessee has played two games at the noon time slot— facing off against Syracuse and UAB in the early time slot.
The Third Saturday in October is the second time that Tennessee is playing on ABC this season. Tennessee’s season opener against Syracuse was also on ABC.
Tennessee enters this week’s matchup against Arkansas with a 4-1 (1-1 SEC) record. The Vols dropped their SEC opener against Georgia in overtime before surviving an overtime thriller at Mississippi State two weeks later. Tennessee had its first open date this past week ahead of its home SEC matchup against the Razorbacks.
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Alabama has bounced back from its season-opening loss against Florida State and enters this week’s matchup against Missouri with a 4-1 (2-0 SEC) record. Following the Florida State loss, the Crimson Tide took care of two non conference opponents before earning crucial SEC wins over Georgia and Vanderbilt.
Kalen DeBoer’s second Alabama team heads to Missouri this weekend to face a Tigers team that’s as unknown as any other in the conference. Alabama will face off against Tennessee playing its fourth straight game off an open date while the Vols will be playing their second straight game.
Tennessee has won two of the last three games against Alabama in the rivalry series but has not defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa since the legendary five overtime game in 2003.
Other top SEC games in week eight include Texas A&M-Arkansas, Oklahoma-South Carolina,LSU-Vanderbilt and Missouri-Auburn.
