Will Alabama football stop playing Tennessee yearly? ‘Would be a sad time’

The SEC’s future football scheduling model remains in limbo. Coaches and admins are working at the league’s spring meetings this week, to determine whether to move to nine conference games, or remain at eight.

There’s plenty of factors, most notably whether an extra league game would result in more College Football Playoff access for SEC teams. Staying at eight means that some of the league’s historical rivalries could be in trouble, including Alabama’s Third Saturday in October game against Tennessee.

Proposed eight-game models have SEC schools keeping one permanent opponent, which would likely be Auburn for the Crimson Tide. The SEC worked for years to keep the Tennessee rivalry alive, making the schools cross-division rivals, but UA athletics director Greg Byrne acknowledged the possibility that it might not survive a new schedule.

“If you go to nine, you might have some more flexibility with what that looks like,” Byrne told reporters at spring meetings Tuesday. “But I wouldn’t like to see (the Tennessee rivalry go away). But I also realize that things are going to evolve and change. It would be a sad time if that were to happen, but also, you have to deal with reality.”

Nick Saban called for nine conference games throughout his Alabama tenure, though he paused that support when he realized the Tide’s permanent opponents could be Auburn, Tennessee and LSU.

Factors involved with the choice to move to a ninth league game include ESPN bringing additional revenue to the table. Alabama and Tennessee wouldn’t be the only rivalry to suffer, with Tennessee-Florida, Texas-Texas A&M and more also on the chopping block.

Byrne did not commit to supporting any one schedule model when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday. He did acknowledge how big the Tide’s rivalry with the Volunteers is.

“The rivalries mean a lot to all of the institutions involved,” Byrne said. “The Iron Bowl, Third Saturday in October, those are times that all the fan bases identify with at the institutions. And (in) reality, when we went to as many teams as we have now in the SEC, one of those would probably suffer if we have to stay to eight.”

SEC spring meetings are scheduled to continue through Thursday in Miramar Beach Fl.