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For college football fans, the "Third Saturday in October" has a lot of meaning.
It means it's time for another rivalry matchup between Alabama football and Tennessee. The No. 6 Crimson Tide and No. 11 Vols are scheduled to face off for the 108th time from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) on Saturday, Oct. 18
Though Alabama leads Tennessee 60-40-7 in the series, the Vols have won two of the past three meetings, including a 24-17 win last season in Knoxville.
Here's a look at the top-10 best Third Saturday in October games of all time. This list attempts to capture the best, most competitive games in the series. So, no, Vols fans: Peyton Manning breaking Alabama's win streak ― impressive as it was ― isn't listed here.
10 best Third Saturday in October games, ranked
Here are USA TODAY Sports' top-10 ranked Third Saturday in October games of all time:
1. 2022: Tennessee 52, Alabama 49
This game marked the first time both teams were unranked going into a matchup since 1989. It looked like Tennessee was on the verge of snapping a 15-game losing streak to Alabama when the Vols jumped out to a 28-10 lead in the third quarter.
Bryce Young drove Alabama down to the Tennessee 32-yard line to potentially win the game; however, Will Reichard missed a 50-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds remaining. Hooker completed a pair of passes to get the Vols to the Alabama 23-yard line, where Chase McGrath hit a 40-yard field goal to end the Vols' losing streak to Alabama.
Tennessee fans rushed the field in celebration.
2. 2009: Alabama 12, Tennessee 10
Tennessee won on a walk-off field goal in 2022. Alabama won on a walk-off blocked field goal 13 years earlier. Senior nose guard Terrence Cody blocked a field goal attempt by Daniel Lincoln as time expired to help the Crimson Tide escape with the win.
Jonathan Crompton's touchdown pass to Gerald Jones with 1:19 left was the only touchdown of the game and brought the Vols within two points. An onside kick recovery and a couple of big passes gave Tennessee the chance to steal the game. But Cody burst through the line and got a hand on the kick to win for Alabama.
Alabama went on to win its first national championship under Saban.
3. 1982: Tennessee 35, Alabama 28
Bear Bryant's final game at Neyland Stadium ended with a field rushing, goalposts being torn down and UT coach Johnny Majors being carried to midfield. The Vols ended an 11-game winning streak by the Crimson Tide with a 35-28 victory.
Mike Terry intercepted a pass in the end zone with 17 seconds left to earn the win for the Vols. This started a four-game winning streak in the series for Tennessee, which was unranked after losses to Duke and Vanderbilt.
Bryant retired following the 1982 season.
4. 1993: Alabama 17, Tennessee 17
Before overtime rules existed in college football, No. 2 Alabama and No. 10 Tennessee squared off in what ended in a 17-17 tie at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The tie snapped the Crimson Tide's 28-game winning streak.
Tennessee probably came out of the game feeling like it lost, as it turned the ball over five times, including a fumble at the 1-yard line that would have put the game away. Alabama pulled a rabbit out of its hat by driving 83 yards with no timeouts left to pull within 17-15 on a Jay Barker TD run. David Palmer scored the two-point try to tie the game with 21 seconds remaining.
Alabama eventually did forfeit the game to Tennessee due to NCAA sanctions.
5. 1990: Alabama 9, Tennessee 6
How about a blocked game-winning kick to set up the game-winning kick? That's what happened in 1990 in Knoxville. Alabama's Stacy Harrison blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt, which sent the ball ricocheting 23 yards to the Vols' 37-yard line, where the Crimson Tide fell on it.
A couple of plays later, Alabama's Phillip Doyle connected on a 48-yard field goal to give the Crimson Tide the upset victory over the No. 3-ranked Vols. The Crimson Tide entered the game at just 2-3, but were able to extend their win streak over Tennessee to five games.
6. 2003: Tennessee 51, Alabama 43, 5 OT
Ten years prior, Alabama and Tennessee played a game that had ended in a tie due to no overtime rules. A decade later, they honored that game with a four-hour marathon. The Vols sealed the win with Jason Allen breaking up a Brodie Croyle fourth-down pass attempt in the end zone in the fifth overtime. Casey Clausen scored on a quarterback run from 1 yard out on the Vols' possession of overtime.
Tennessee escaped a fourth-and-19 in the second overtime after Alabama had scored on a 29-yard pass from Clausen to C.J. Fayton.
With the win, Tennessee became the first visiting team to win three straight games at Bryant-Denny Stadium. However, Oct. 25, 2003, marks the last time Tennessee beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
7. 1985: Tennessee 16, Alabama 14
The 1985 Tennessee team is remembered as the "Sugar Vols" after they went from unranked to start the season to winning the SEC Championship and ending the season with a blowout win over Miami in the Sugar Bowl. The rise to the top began against Alabama, after quarterback Tony Robinson suffered a season-ending injury.
Linebacker Dale Jones broke up a pass by Alabama QB Mike Shula near the goalline and came up with the interception to help preserve the win for the Vols over the No. 15 Crimson Tide.
8. 1968: Tennessee 10, Alabama 9
Wouldn't you believe Coach Bear Bryant was ahead of his time as a coach? The Alabama coach opted to go for a 2-point conversion after a score on the road in the final minutes of the game rather than kicking the extra point.
Tennessee took the lead on a field goal on a then-SEC record 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Alabama responded with an 8-yard drive that ended in a four-yard pass from Scott Hunter to Donnie Sutton. Bryant elected to go for the win; however, a Joe Kelley pass to Sutton was unsuccessful. Alabama recovered the ensuing onside kick, but was unable to score.
9. 2015: Alabama 19, Tennessee 14
Alabama entered the 2015 matchup with its national title hopes already on the brink following a loss to Ole Miss. However, they survived a scare from the Vols when Derrick Henry scored a 14-yard touchdown to give Alabama the late lead with 2:24 left.
Ryan Anderson recorded the second of two straight sacks of Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs, with the second forcing a fumble to help the Crimson Tide preserve the victory.
Alabama went on to win all but one of its remaining games by double-digits before defeating Clemson 45-40 in the national championship game.
10. 1966: Alabama 11, Tennessee 10
Ken Stabler, aka the "Snake," scored the only touchdown of the game for Alabama on a 1-yard run, hit Wayne Cook for a 2-point conversion and then held the field goal for Steve Davis' go-ahead 17-yard field goal for Alabama in the victory over the Vols in 1966.
Tennessee kicker Gary Wright attempted a 19-yard field goal to give the Vols the win, but his kick appeared to sail over the top of the right goalpost and was ruled no good, resulting in the Alabama win. The Crimson Tide finished the season 11-0 as SEC co-champions and defeated Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 10 best 'Third Saturday in October' games between Tennessee and Alabama, ranked
Reporting by Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY
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