Nick Saban: Alabama players look forward to Tennessee more than any other game
Move aside, Iron Bowl — there’s another rivalry game that revs the engine of Alabama players.
During his “Hey Coach” radio show on Thursday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban was asked by a caller what the Tennessee rivalry means to him. The question was asked because the Vols are coming off a big win over Florida and are ranked highly in the polls. The Tide and Vols are set to meet on Oct. 15, and Saban says it’s a game his players are really looking forward to.
Here’s how AL.com’s Michael Casagrande described the exchange:
Caller jumps ahead to ask Saban what Tennessee rivalry means to him. Saban handled it very calmly, said it was important to the players but was worried about Kentucky game first. He did say it was the rivalry players looked forward to the most every season.
The natural inclination is to think the Iron Bowl rivalry with Auburn means the most to Bama’s players, but Saban says Tennessee means more to the players.
Nick Saban said the Tennessee game is the biggest game to the players. Said that's no disrespect to the Iron Bowl.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) September 30, 2016
Though it’s unsurprising that another SEC rivalry game would mean a lot to Bama’s players, it is a little surprising to hear that the players get more excited to face the Vols than Auburn. We certainly know that Tide fans might feel differently — especially this one.