The Third Saturday in October still matters.

In a series dominated by lengthy win streaks, Tennessee returned some luster to the annual bout with one of its most storied, historic rivals two years ago when it beat Alabama at Neyland Stadium.

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The Crimson Tides' 15-game stretch of consecutive victories, some soul-crushingly close for the Vols and many hardly a contest at all, came crashing down. So did the goal posts. At least one of them ended up in the Tennessee River after being paraded triumphantly around campus and down Knoxville's most famous thoroughfare in Cumberland Ave.

Vols fans hauled the goal posts over their shoulder like revolutionaries that just toppled a great tyrant. To them, they were one in the same. That was Alabama's last visit to Tennessee and, as it turned out, Nick Saban's, who once had a seemingly unrelenting grip on the more than 100-year affair between the Vols and Crimson Tide.

Saturday's match up between the two teams--the 107th installment of the game dubbed the "Third Saturday in October" in 1939--will mark the 22nd time that both No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) and No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) are ranked inside the top 20 and the stakes are as high as they've ever been.

In the era of an expanded College Football Playoff, Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) will serve as a virtual elimination game, one that promises to join the annals of one of the good old-fashioned, southern college football games like so many before it.

As Tennessee seeks its second-straight home win over Alabama for the first time in nearly 20 years, here is a look at the all-time series between the Vols and Crimson Tide.

Who: No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1)

When: Saturday, Oct. 19 | 3:30 p.m. ET

Where: Neyland Stadium | Knoxville

TV: ABC (Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; Molly McGrath, reporter)

Series: 107th meeting (Alabama leads, 60-39-7)

In Knoxville: Alabama, 27-21-1

In Tuscaloosa: Alabama, 12-4

In Birmingham: Alabama, 21-14-6

Tennessee was on the brink of beating Alabama in back-to-back games for the first time in nearly 20 years in Tuscaloosa last season.

The Vols had missed on some opportunities in the red zone, but led the Crimson Tide by two scores at halftime inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Those squandered chances to swell their lead ended up costing them though.

Joe Milton III, who passed for two touchdowns in the first half and the rest of the Tennessee offense was held scoreless over the last two quarters while Alabama scored 27 unanswered points to beat the Vols for the ninth-straight time at home, 34-20.

Oct. 19, 1968: It was slipping from Tennessee's grasp.

The Vols had the lead late, but they knew better. They knew nothing came easy against Alabama on the Third Saturday in October. Still fresh in most of the players' memories was a missed field goal and a missed opportunity against the Crimson Tide just two years earlier. They were nearing a similar, yet potentially even more heartbreaking conclusion on the afternoon of Oct. 19, 1968.

As the Neyland Stadium press box cast its shadow onto Shields-Watkins Field, a national television audience on ABC watched as every chance Tennessee had to put Alabama away in the final two minutes was squandered.

First, the Crimson Tide drove 80 yards for a touchdown that pull them within an extra point of a tie at 10-9 with one minute, 12 seconds remaining. Bear Bryant instead opted to go for the lead on a two-point conversion. The Vols' defense held. Then Alabama attempted an onside kick to get the ball back one more time. It worked.

The Crimson Tide had the ball back and on the doorstep of field goal range for kicker Mike Dean. He had made one kick earlier in the game. Now he was in position for the game-winner. But in a twist of irony, Jim Weatherford, a scrawny defensive back, came off the edge, made a diving attempt at the ball as it came off of Dean's foot and got a hand on it--enough to send the ball into the air and into the arms of Mike Jones.

The clock ran out as Jones was knocked out of bounds into the Tennessee sideline and a sea of orange jerseys. Among the first to greet him was Doug Dickey, who with Weatherford's block, had just beaten Alabama for the second time as the Vols' head coach.

"The stage was all set to make it one of football's all-time classic," Birmingham News writer Alf Van Hoose penned. "The scene was fitting. Perfect. Storied old Neyland Stadium on a golden October Saturday. All it took was a 36-yard field goal by little Mike Dean.

"But in these cruel times, there sometimes is a jagged ending. Old prince and pauper tales may have been replaced. Life is harsh"

Oct. 16, 1982: The feeling was painfully familiar.

After Walter Lewis tossed a 35-yard touchdown to Jesse Bendross to extend Alabama's lead to 14-3 in the first half, it looked like Tennessee's streak of misery against the Crimson Tide was going to stretch to 12-straight games.

Then Alan Cockrell answered with a scoring pass of his own to Willie Gault to pull the Vols within a score. Second-ranked Alabama kept throwing punches, but Tennessee kept hitting back, enough to take lead.

The Vols were rolling when Chuck Coleman rattled off a 34-yard touchdown run and Cockrell linked up with Kenny Jones on a two-point conversion for the second time to go ahead 35-21 midway through the fourth quarter.

But this was Tennessee-Alabama, and nothing came easy, even with a two touchdown advantage. Alabama scored twice in the last six minutes, back within a touchdown and threatening to snatch a long-awaited victory from the Vols.

It looked that way when Lewis had the ball back and had Alabama driving deep into Tennessee territory. From the Vols' 17-yard line. From there, he threw the ball to end zone three-straight times. On fourth down, his final pass was broken up for the third time by Lee Jenkins.

Jenkins' deflection led to a game-sealing interception and the Vols had done it, beating Alabama in Bear Bryant's last Third Saturday in October game, 35-28 to end an 11-game losing skid and to let our their frustrations of the previous 11 games, Tennessee fans poured onto the field.

The goal posts rattled for a moment, then came down. In what became one of those traditions that happen only on the most special of occasions, those posts were marched out of Neyland Stadium and down Cumberland Ave. in a celebration that lasted well into the night.

Pieces of those goal posts were divvied up like spoils of war and probably still sit on mantels and display cases across Tennessee today.

Oct. 20, 1984: Neyland Stadium erupted as Johnnie Jones fell into the end zone.

Tennessee's comeback, only moments before it seemed impossible, was nearly complete with two minutes, nine seconds left on the clock. The Vols, who trailed 27-13 in the fourth quarter, suddenly needed just an extra point to tie Alabama and possibly escape with a draw.

Johnny Majors decided to go for the win, instead.

The Tennessee head coach called a timeout after Jones' touchdown run and huddled the team together. The call was 48 option and it would be up to quarterback Tony Robinson to toss it back to Jones for the go-ahead two-point attempt or keep it himself.

Robinson took the snap, turned around and looked at Jones for a second. Then he saw the open gap. After faking the pitch to Jones, Robinson tucked the ball and dove for the goal line, crossing as one Alabama defender helplessly--and late--tried to corral him.

Tennessee's home field was again in a frenzy. The Vols had the lead for good, beating the Crimson Tide for the third-straight time for the first time since winning four in row between 1967-70.

Alabama entered the game at 2-4 under second-year head coach Ray Perkins and ended up finishing 5-6. But it was still Alabama and beating the Crimson Tide meant something, so again the goal posts were toppled.

"It was then that I started thinking about using wooden goal posts for our home games with Alabama," former Tennessee athletics director Bob Woodruff told Knoxville News-Sentinel writer Al Browning. "They're cheaper than aluminum. But, as I felt in 1982, dangerous or not, let hungry fans have their fun after beating Alabama."

Tennessee's streak continued the following year on its way to an SEC championship and Sugar Bowl berth in 1985, but another decade of Alabama dominance in the series followed.

It was snapped in 1995 on the night Peyton Manning passed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard strike to Joey Kent on the first play of a 41-14 victory at Legion Field in Birmingham.

Oct. 15, 2022: It was a story that had repeated itself too many times.

The ball that fell to the turf on a botched exchange on a hand off and was picked up by Dallas Turner and returned for an Alabama touchdown with less than eight minutes left might as well have represented Tennessee's hopes of beating the Crimson Tide for the first time in 16 years.

The Vols had already responded to one Alabama strike to take its first lead in the third quarter, but this one, like in so many games before felt like the knockout the blow that Tennessee fans had hoped wouldn't come, but couldn't get it out of the back of their minds.

But if Hendon Hooker, the Vols' quarterback playing in his second Third Saturday in October game, knew about past history and what was supposed to happen, he didn't seem to care.

This year, this team was different and they were going to show it.

Tennessee got the ball back with inside seven minutes left and in four minutes, 23 seconds, frustrated the Crimson Tide defense again as Hooker linked up with Jalin Hyatt for the fifth time on a 13-yard touchdown pass that knotted the game up at 49-49.

There was still time, plenty of it for Alabama to provide the ending that for so long crippled the Vols' psyche. Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns dropped a pass from Bryce Young that would have Will Reichard's go-ahead field goal much more manageable.

Instead, Reichard lined up for a 50-yard field goal, then missed it wide. Life for Tennessee remained, but the Vols' offense needed to move quick.

It started with an 18-yard pass from Hooker to Ramel Keyton to get to around midfield. The next play, Bru McCoy gathered in a 27-yard pass and Tennessee got a timeout with one second left.

It was Chase McGrath's turn for the lead and the win. He missed an extra point in the third quarter but the Vols were seemingly destined on this night. His 40 yard boot was tipped at the line and wobbled towards the goal post.

It barley clear the cross bar, but style points didn't matter. The final score did and Tennessee was on the winning side, 52-49.

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