For the first time in his tenure with Alabama football, Nick Saban is preparing for Tennessee after losing to them in the prior meeting. Alabama’s defense was exposed in the 52-49 nail-biter in Knoxville last year. Afterward, the Neyland Stadium crowd emptied onto the field, the goalposts were ripped from the ground and cigar odor permeated.

On Monday, quarterback Jalen Milroe said there’s “no better feeling” than lighting the victory cigar, a longtime celebration for one side of the rivalry, dating back to UA head trainer Jim Goostree.

Saban explained his relationship with the tradition during the SEC teleconference.

“I guess it’s fun when you get the opportunity to smoke a cigar,” Saban said. “I don’t smoke, so I just kind of chew on one for a little bit. I think games like this that have sort of special innuendos that go with them, it’s probably good for the players. It’s probably good for the players’ relationships with each other to do things like that. I don’t think there’s anything bad about it.”

Is this the last Alabama-Tennessee football game in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future? That question has been on the mind of some diehards as the two sides meet for their yearly clash this weekend.

As the Southeastern Conference scheduling debate continues, the only certainty is that some of the South’s long-running rivalries will continue through 2024. That includes the Tide making a trip to Knoxville. But after that, the league may introduce a rotating set of opponents for each team. And while it’ll provide rare regular-season matchups, like Alabama playing Georgia and Oklahoma, traditions fans have grown up on could be in danger. Like the third Saturday in October featuring crimson and orange.

“I think that that’s happening all over college football where you’re going to have these great rivalry games that players, fans, everyone in programs sort of look forward to that are not going to be able to exist on a year-to-year basis. So I think there’s a lot of people that are disappointed in some of those things,” Saban said.

Earlier this fall, No. 11 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC) played its last game against Mississippi State until at least 2025. The Tide silenced cowbells in a primetime blowout. Tennessee was one of the rumored three permanent opponents Alabama was assigned under an earlier scheduling model, along with Auburn and LSU. Saban pushed back against that proposal this spring.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].