It’s not often where one team gets an opportunity to face the No. 1 squad in the nation, much less twice in the same season, but that’s exactly what the Tennessee Volunteers will do this Saturday when they face Alabama.
The Crimson Tide jumped over previous No. 1 Florida in the latest AP rankings released on Sunday. The Gators remained atop the USA Today Coaches poll with Alabama ranked No. 2.
Florida was also No. 1 in the first BCS rankings of the season released on Sunday, followed by Alabama at No. 2 and Texas at No. 3.
Florida’s last second 23-20 win over Arkansas on Saturday apparently caused some of the AP voters to elevate the Crimson Tide over the Gators. Alabama defeated No. 23 South Carolina on Saturday 20-6 to improve to 7-0 for the season.
The Volunteers have already faced Florida when they were the unanimous No. 1 team, losing 23-13 to the Gators in Gainesville on September 19.
That’s the game where Florida coach Urban Meyer claimed many of his starters were suffering from flu-like symptoms. The following Monday Meyer said he didn’t feel like Tennessee was trying to win the game, intimating that the Gators took it easy on the Vols.
Considering the intense rivalry between Alabama and Tennessee, it’s unlikely the Crimson Tide will take it easy on the Vols.
The Crimson Tide spent a month of the 2008 season as the No. 1 team in college football before falling to Florida in the SEC Championship game.
The last time Tennessee defeated college football’s No. 1 team was in 1985 when a Bo Jackson-led Auburn team visited Neyland Stadium and lost 38-20.
