The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers will go head-to-head on Saturday with every eye around the country watching.
The 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff on ABC features a matchup between rivals with much more than just bragging rights between fan bases on the line.
Just two weeks ago, both of these teams were undefeated, ranked in the top five and looking like legitimate national title contenders. Then, both fell to unranked foes on the road and then struggled at home in sloppy victories. Neyland Stadium will be sold out for 'The Third Saturday in October' with Alabama walking into the most hostile environment it has seen this season.
If Kalen DeBoer and Alabama stumble for the second time this season, especially against Tennessee, a fan base that seems to have forgotten the Georgia win will be preparing their pitchforks. William McLelland-Imagn Images For Heupel, the pressure on him isn't as drastic, but a loss would crush the Volunteer faithful that believed it had a college football playoff lock earlier this month. Technically, this game won't eliminate the loser entirely, as a 10-2 SEC team will likely never get left out of the 12-team field, but an appearance in the SEC Championship would be a near impossibility with a loss on Saturday.
Although the playoff would still be attainable with a loss, there would be no margin for error down the stretch, which is risky for both as Tennessee still has to travel to Georgia while Alabama will travel to Death .
