Vols vs. Alabama... A Fearless Prediction

Today the Florida rivalry is tops to a majority of Vols fans, but few football rivalries can complete with the history, the tradition, the respect and dis-respect of Tennessee/Alabama.

The series started all the way back in 1901. The Crimson Tide currently hold a 46-38-7 advantage.

New Vols head coach Lane Kiffin hasn't embraced the traditions of Tennessee football as much as his predecessor.  But he certainly understands what this game means to both fan bases.

He also understands what an upset would mean to Tennessee's place on the national landscape.  Kiffin is all about recruiting.  A victory over the top-ranked Crimson Tide would prove to recruits that Tennessee is on the same level, right now, as Florida and Alabama. 

The Vols gameplan against then top-ranked Florida kept the game close, with the Vols losing 23-13.

Tennessee's coaching staff should be able to the same thing on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. They just aren't talented enough yet to do more than keep it close.

Alabama 27, Tennessee 17

Mark's 2009 Fearless Prediction Record: 5-1