Rivalry game?

Alabama Coach Nick Saban and Tennessee Coach Josh Heupel both used the term “rivalry game” in their opening remarks on Wednesday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference in reference to the Vols playing the Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But does “rivalry game” still apply to the AlabamaTennessee matchup?

Yes, the Tide and Vols will meet for the 104th time in a series that started in 1901 and has featured 21 games in which both teams were nationally ranked.

But Alabama, which holds a 57-38-8 series advantage, has a 14-game winning streak against Tennessee. The Tide’s average margin of victory during the streak is 26.8 points, with eight by 31 or more points.

Sounds more like another SEC game for Alabama than a rivalry.

Tide Coach Nick Saban doesn’t see it that way.

“You can say it however you want to say it, but it’s significant if you don’t have success in the game because it’s significant to a lot of people,” Saban said. “And whatever happened the last however many years, has no impact on this game at all.

“The only thing that matters is what happens now. So for now, this week, it’s a rivalry game to me. And I hope it is for everyone in our organization.”

This will be the first Alabama-Tennessee game for Vols Coach Josh Heupel.

“Yeah, for sure,” Heupel said when asked if playing Alabama is still a rivalry game for Tennessee. “The historic nature of it, absolutely.”

Alabama is a 25-point favorite to make it 15 in a row over Tennessee.