Football time in Tennessee. Third Saturday in October. Leaves changing. The colors red and orange blending and clashing. It’s coming fast, and it can’t get here soon enough. For the first time in ages, Alabama and Tennessee are going to play a game of American football that will not arrive at the opening kickoff as a foregone conclusion.

At kickoff, Tennessee’s “Days Since Beating Alabama” clock will stand at 5,838, but Josh Heupel and the Vols stand more than a puncher’s chance of resetting that clock to 0. They’ve assembled an elite offense, beaten three ranked teams in five starts and gotten one gorilla known as the Florida Gators off their backs.

A week ago, while Alabama sweated out the final snap against Texas A&M, Coach Hype and company emptied LSU’s Death Valley early. They’ve climbed higher in the rankings than they’ve been since 2005, all the way to No. 6. Their quarterback, the ageless 24-year-old wonder Hendon Hooker, has played himself into Heisman favorite status. Alabama’s quarterback, Heisman winner Bryce Young, has missed the last game and a half with a sprained throwing shoulder.

We won’t know for sure if, how much and how well Young will be able to play till Saturday.

Imagine the scene when the Vols run through the T. All that enthusiasm, the anticipation, the daydreaming of parading an upright or two down Cumberland Avenue four hours later. Hope is a beautiful thing. No, really, it is. Be a shame if something — or someone — happened to it.

Of course, Alabama’s got just the guy to do it, to crush the Big Orange like a grape. Nick Saban has done it before, 15 years in a row, 17 times in 18 tries all told. He’s done it with LSU and Alabama. He’s done it with Matt Mauck and Tua Tagovailoa. He’s done it with an onside kick to start the game and a blocked field goal to end it.