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Why Tennessee football, Alabama wearing orange and crimson for Third Saturday in October

For their upcoming matchup in Knoxville, both the fourteenth-ranked Volunteers and seventh-ranked Crimson Tide will don their respective traditional home jerseys to revive a colorful era of their historic rivalry. Athletic directors Danny White and Greg Byrne secured approval from the Southeastern Conference to bring back the classic aesthetic for meetings across the 2026 and 2027 seasons, marking the first time opposing uniforms will both display primary home colors since 1970.

Until an NCAA and SEC rule change in 1971 forced visiting programs into white uniforms, the October series routinely featured vibrant displays of crimson and orange. The current campaign's clash will serve as the one hundred ninth meeting between the two institutions, which have met every year since 1928 with the sole exception of 1943 during the Second World War.

Furthermore, because previous contests hosted by the Crimson Tide historically took place at Legion Field, the upcoming game in Tuscaloosa will represent the initial occasion the Volunteers wear their orange jerseys inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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