With College GameDay in Knoxville this weekend for Tennessee's matchup against No. 1 Texas, there was always likely to be some awkwardness between former Alabama coach Nick Saban and the Volunteer faithful.
Saban dominated Tennessee during his time in Tuscaloosa, winning 16 of the 17 matchups, which included 15 in a row from 2007-2021, with the one loss in Knoxville coming with a whole bunch of controversy.
Saban made sure to remind the Tennessee fans in attendance at GameDay of his dominance in the Third Saturday in October series.
Answering a question on which "UT" between Tennessee and Texas he was all in on, Saban responded with the University of Tennessee. But as the fans cheered him, he revealed his ulterior motive:
"Because we smoked 16 of 17 cigars when we played you all," Saban said.
"WE SMOKED 16 OF 17 CIGARS WHEN WE PLAYED YOU ALL."
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 26, 2026
Coach Saban set the crowd up 😂 pic.twitter.com/mKP9MDvuxH
Nick Saban set Tennessee fans up for a brutal Alabama punchline
As you might expect, Tennessee fans didn't take too kindly to Saban's troll job. Chants of "F*** Nick Saban" rang out amongst the GameDay crowd.
Saban responded with "you guys can't take a joke!" The best jokes are rooted in reality, and that's why it cut so deep for the Volunteer fans.
Saban dominated the Third Saturday in October like no other coach in the history of the rivalry. Sure, there have been dominant runs before, and even Tennessee had its share. But the 15 in a row that Saban won between 2007 and 2021 is the longest streak in the history of the rivalry.
And it should have gone on two more years. He should have finished a perfect 17-0 against the Vols.
In any case, 16-1 is hard to be upset about. Obviously, Tennessee fans have no love lost for him after how badly Alabama beat Tennessee during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. Perhaps no fanbase was happier to see the GOAT retire than the one in Knoxville. He tormented them as badly as any.
Saban added a little more salt to the wound at the end of the show when picking Texas to beat Tennessee today. He talked about the last time he played in Neyland Stadium and how the goalpost ended up in the river, a reference to the 2022 matchup where the Vols broke the 15-game losing streak, tore down the goalposts, and took one of them to the river.
In picking Texas, Saban did so by saying the goalposts "would be safe today."
Never change, coach.
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