Third Saturday in October back in form

It was supposed to be an innocent statement from Alabama head coach Nick Saban on his weekly radio show, but instead it sparked up a sizable debate among Crimson Tide fans.

Heading into Alabama’s Week 5 game against Kentucky, Saban said the game against Tennessee was the “biggest game to the players.” That’s “no disrespect to the Iron Bowl,” Saban went on to say. However, by that time the argument had already been sparked.

Surely, an in-state meeting against Auburn on the last game of the regular season is still the biggest game of the year to the players, right?

“Even as a little kid, the Third Saturday in October was Tennessee weekend,” Alabama linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton, a Montgomery native, said.

Really? Even from an in-state kid?

“That’s the game,” Hamilton said. “Pretty big game. I think that rivalry is right up there with Auburn. I’m looking forward to it.”

Fellow in-state teammate O.J. Howard wasn’t so sure about handing out the title of “biggest game” so fast.

“I wouldn’t say bigger, to some people it is,” Howard said. “Some of the fans really think it’s bigger, but I think they are both kind of important. You know Auburn is just an in-state team and that’s why I think it’s really important. It’s our rivalry in the same state so only one person can have bragging rights for the whole year. So that’s why I think the Auburn game, but this is definitely important to a lot of people.”

Alabama offensive lineman Ross Pierschbacher, an Iowa native, wasn’t even familiar with the rivalry upon joining the program.

“Yeah, I had always thought about LSU, Auburn and stuff like that,” Pierschbacher said. “Then people say they ask about Tennessee a lot, too, and I was like well yeah, I guess. But I guess with the cigars and stuff like that, it’s a pretty big deal to the old timers around here and stuff like that.”

It takes somewhat of an old timer to remember the last time the Third Saturday in October has had as many SEC title implications as it will this Saturday. No. 1 Alabama will travel to No. 9 Tennessee looking to beat the Volunteers for a 10th straight time.

The matchup will be the first time the two teams have met as top-10 programs since 1999 when No. 5 Tennessee topped No. 10 Alabama 21-7 in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

A 3:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday on CBS will renew the rivalry to national significance. It will also pit Alabama up against its first top-10 opponent this season.

That’s enough to excite players and fans alike.

“Whatever game means the most that season, I think that’s kind of the biggest rivalry of the year,” Pierschbacher said. “That’s what the players get most hyped up about.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Third Saturday in October back in form."