Tennessee picked a good week to end its losing streak against ranked teams.
On a chaotic Saturday throughout the SEC, the 14th-ranked Volunteers (3-1 SEC, 6-1 overall) delivered a convincing 26-10 home victory over the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (3-2, 5-2). With its first win over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2024, Tennessee snapped a seven-game skid against ranked teams.
"The defense had a phenomenal performance," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said as fans stormed the field after the third consecutive win over Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville (the Volunteers' longest home streak over the Tide since 1996-2000). "Great day. Love it for our fans and coaches."
With upset losses Saturday for top-ranked Georgia and seventh-ranked Texas in the SEC, Tennessee is poised to enter the top 10 and make a charge for a College Football Playoff berth.
With consecutive regular-season defeats for the first time since 2007 (Nick Saban's first season as head coach), Alabama is headed in the other direction after a loss to Georgia last week. Alabama mustered only 201 yards of total offense while committing four turnovers against Tennessee.
Tide quarterback Keelon Russell scored the only TD on a 19-yard run but also threw two interceptions. The team was without its captain, injured wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams