Alabama Football Most Common Opponents All-Time

Alabama kicked off its football program in 1892 with a 2-2, which included a 56-0 triumph over Birmingham High School and a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Birmingham Athletic Club. The Crimson Tide have come a long way from playing high schools and local athletic clubs.

Bama became one of the premier programs in the country and has been the dominant force in the sport for the last 15 years. It’s among the winningest teams ever, and it’s built a rich history with a handful of standout fellow Southern outfits; we’re taking a deep dive into Alabama football’s most commonly played opponents ever.

The SEC is expanding soon, with Texas and Oklahoma on the way. That will bring the conference to 16, and it will change the way the league schedules its seasons. We already know that divisions will disappear in 2024, but we don’t know how things will look in 2025 and beyond. While Alabama will continue to have games against every SEC team on this list, some of them might become less frequent than they have been for some time.

Who Has Alabama Football Played the Most?

Includes all games through the 2022-23 season.

T-10: Florida (27-14-0, .659 win percentage), Kentucky (38-2-1, .927 win percentage), Tulane (27-11-3, .659 win percentage) – 41 Games

Alabama’s series with Florida, Kentucky, and Tulane all include 41 games each, tying each team for 10th on this list (for the time being).

Florida and Alabama played their first contest in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1916 – a 16-0 Crimson Tide victory. Despite both being founding members of the SEC in 1932, the programs haven’t had many periods of consistent competition. The teams have shared a field more often in recent decades largely because of the SEC Championship Game, which has played host to 10 showdowns between Bama and Florida. The Crimson Tide currently carry an eight-game win streak over the Gators that dates back to 2009, last outdoing Florida in 2021 in Gainesville, 31-29. These teams are not scheduled to meet in 2023 or 2024.

Alabama took a trip to Lexington in 1917 for the first-ever game between the programs and left as the victors, 27-0. Five years later, the Wildcats defeated the Crimson Tide in Lexington, 6-0. The only other time Kentucky has knocked off Alabama in 41-total tries was in 1997. Bama has won more than 92 percent of its games against UK and is riding a seven-game positive streak at present after wasting the Wildcats, 63-3, in their last meeting in 2020 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will go to Lexington on Nov. 11 for the 42nd edition of this series, but the teams aren’t set to play in 2024.

The origins of the Crimson Tide and Green Wave go all the way back to 1894 when the visitors won in New Orleans, 18-6. The programs had an established relationship by the time they both helped found the SEC in 1932, and that continued until Tulane left the league in 1966. Since then, these teams have played just five times and once dating back to 1995. Alabama triumphed in the last contest, 20-6, in Tuscaloosa in 2008, and there are no games scheduled between these two for the future. The Green Wave will leave this list by the end of the 2023 season, likely never to return.

9: Southern Miss – 44 Games (36-6-2, .818 win percentage)

Southern Miss and Alabama have never shared a conference, but that didn’t stop them from scheduling one another a bunch of times from the late 1940s into the 2000s. Their first meeting came in 1947 with a 34-7 Alabama win in Birmingham, Alabama, and it sparked a span of 10 games in 11 years between the teams. Then from 1966 through 2005, Alabama and Southern Miss met more often than not. Since then, though, the Golden Eagles have only been on the Crimson Tide’s schedule three times.

Bama has pretty thoroughly dominated this one. From 1957 through 1980, the Crimson Tide collected 11-straight victories in the series, and they currently own a seven-game streak (excluding the vacated 2005 victory) over Southern Miss that began in 2001. The last time these teams met was in 2021 in Tuscaloosa, which Alabama commanded, 63-14, and they do not have any plans to play in the future at the moment.

8: Georgia Tech – 52 Games (28-21-3, .538 win percentage)

Birmingham was the site of the first-ever contest between Alabama and Georgia Tech in 1902, which went Bama’s way, 26-0. Despite the result of the introduction, the Yellow Jackets had the better of the Crimson Tide during the start of the series, amassing a 7-2-2 record against Alabama through 1923. Bama woke up in the middle of that decade, then flipped the script in the ‘30s to go 11-3-1 against GT from 1933 through 1950. The Wramblin’ Wreck took six of seven showdowns from 1951 through 1957, and the Crimson Tide immediately responded with the same number of wins in the same number of outings from 1958 through 1964.

And that’s when it stopped. Georgia Tech left the SEC, and these programs ceased common confrontations. From 1979 through 1984, they rekindled their relationship for a six-year period, but that’s all they’ve done since GT departed.

The Yellow Jackets have been one of the most formidable foes Alabama has ever regularly played. Georgia Tech won some marquee games against the Crimson Tide, like when No. 2 GT triumphed over No. 5 Alabama, 7-0, in 1942, or 20 years later when the unranked Yellow Jackets upset No. 1 Alabama, 7-6. Georgia Tech has maintained bragging rights for decades at this point since claiming the last meeting between these programs in 1984, a 16-6 triumph in Atlanta, but that will finally be put to the test soon-ish; in 2020, these teams announced a renewal of the series set for 2030 and 2031.

7: Ole Miss – 67 Games (54-11-2, .806 win percentage)

The Alabama-Ole Miss relationship began in 1894 with a Rebel win, 6-0, in Jackson, Mississippi. Ole Miss has beat Alabama just nine times since.

The Crimson Tide and Rebels played often from the late 1890s through the early 1930s, with Alabama demolishing Ole Miss in most of those meetings. The teams competed just once between 1934 and 1963, but they’ve been regularly playing since. Alabama and Ole Miss haven’t skipped a season dating back to 1992.

The Rebels have only put together a single win streak longer than one: back-to-back triumphs over Alabama in 2014 and 2015. That’s the strongest hold Ole Miss has ever had in this one. Alabama won 12 in a row from 1912 through 1932, five-straight from 1977 through 1983, another seven-consecutive contests from 1994 through 2000, an unbeaten run from 2004 through 2013 that includes a handful of vacated Alabama victories, and the current span of seven that dates back to 2016. Like I said, it’s been all Alabama.

The Crimson Tide defeated the Rebels, 30-24, in 2022 in Oxford. They will host Ole Miss in this year’s addition to the series on Sept. 23, but a contest between these two is not scheduled for 2024.

6: Georgia – 72 Games (42-26-4, .583 win percentage)

In 1895, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs met in Columbus, Georgia. UGA came away victorious, 30-6, and the series was born.

From 1901 through 1965, Alabama and Georgia met in most seasons, but the series became much less frequent after that. Through 1921, the Bulldogs led the series, 8-4-3, but the ‘20s and ‘30s were better for Alabama, which took 10 of 12 contests against Georgia from 1922 through 1941. The ‘40s were more even before the Crimson Tide put together undefeated runs from 1949 through 1954 and 1960 through 1964.

But the longest Alabama winning streak versus UGA came decades later from 2008 through 2021. During that span, the Crimson Tide achieved seven-straight victories, including three SEC Championship triumphs and a conquest in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship in crazily dramatic fashion. But the Dawgs stopped the skid on the largest stage, outdoing Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, 33-18, to win the program’s first national title since 1980.

As Georgia has elevated itself to the upper-echelon of the SEC and national conversation, it has become a legitimate foil to Alabama. This has heated up the rivalry after decades of lowered energy. Operating in opposite divisions means there haven’t been many scheduled games between these programs – they’re not set to meet in 2023, for example – but those divisions won’t exist beyond this season. Their first scheduled contest since 2020 will take place in 2024 in Tuscaloosa, and the SEC’s future format could allow this rivalry to flourish.

5: Vanderbilt – 83 Games (60-19-4, .723 win percentage)

Vanderbilt smacked Alabama, 30-0, in 1903 in Nashville in the inaugural showdown between these two. The Commodores were even more ruthless in 1905 and 1906, demolishing the Crimson Tide, 34-0 and then 78-0 (!), respectively. Those three triumphs make up more than 15 percent of Vandy’s all-time wins over Alabama.

It took a little while, but the Crimson Tide were in control of this series by the ‘30s, winning 10 of 11 games between 1930 and 1940. Vanderbilt achieved an unbeaten run of five from 1947 through 1951, but such success has not come since. Bama roared to 24 victories in 25 tries between 1960 and 1983, with plenty of lopsided outcomes included. The Commodores won in 1984 to end Alabama’s 14-game winning streak, and the only other win Vandy has managed against the Crimson Tide since was a forfeit in 1993 that Bama won on the field, 17-9. Alabama’s current win streak of 12 dates back to 1994 (excluding vacated victories in 2006 and 2007).

These teams played every season from 1953 through 2002, but the series has been much less played over the last 20 years. Only five meetings have happened in that span, two of which were vacated for Alabama violations. Their last game was recent: a 55-3 Alabama destruction of Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa in 2022. That was the first time the two had played in five years, but it won’t be as long of a wait this time as the Crimson Tide are set to go to Nashville in 2024.

T-3: Auburn – 87 Games (49-37-1, .563 win percentage)

It might be surprising to see Auburn this relatively-low on the list, but for a very long time, these in-state foes did not meet.

Their first Iron Bowl came in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1893 – a 40-16 Auburn success. From then through 1907, the teams played 12 times, with the Tigers outdoing the Crimson Tide, 7-4-1. That spelled the end of their relationship until they finally shared a field again in 1948, with Alabama delivering its hated adversaries a nice 55-0 introduction back to the rivalry. These teams haven’t skipped a season since, and the ebbs and flows of the rivalry has switched many times.

In this series, one side has typically had the better of the other for a period before the balance of power tips and the roles reverse. Alabama had the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, then Auburn rattled off five-straight wins. The Crimson Tide took nine of 10 contests from 1959 through 1968, and after a minor Auburn blimp, Bama regained control from 1973 through 1981 with nine-consecutive conquests, the best run either program has ever had against the other.

The 1980s were friendlier to the Tigers, and the 1990s were fairly split between the two. The 2000s saw Auburn return to prominence, claiming seven of eight contests from 2000 through 2007, including a six-game streak from 2002 through 2007 that is its longest-ever positive run in the rivalry. It’s been largely Alabama since as the Crimson Tide are 11-4 versus the Tigers dating back to 2008, though those seldom Auburn triumphs were often quite crucial.

Alabama has taken three outings in a row over Auburn at this point, conquering the Tigers, 49-27, in Tuscaloosa in 2022 in the last contest. They’ll meet again on Nov. 25 in the final week of the regular season, per usual, for the 88th all-time meeting between them. There have already been many unforgettable entries into the Iron Bowl – will the 2023 edition become another memorable chapter in one of college football’s greatest stories?

T-3: LSU – 87 Games (55-27-5, .632 win percentage)

LSU toppled Alabama, 12-6, in their first contest in 1895 in Baton Rouge, kicking off one of Alabama’s several heated rivalries in the process.

Before 1964, these teams had their periods of play but it never lasted longer than a decade or so before a hefty hiatus would hit. Their first dose of regularity came in the 1920s, and the Crimson Tide clobbered the Tigers in that time, going undefeated in all 10 contests with LSU from 1919 through 1930. The teams did not play from 1931 through 1944, then competed 10 times between 1945 through 1958. The series has now been annual every season since 1964.

The Crimson Tide have overall had the better of the Tigers, claiming roughly every two of three meetings against them. From 1971 through 1981, Alabama experienced its greatest era in the rivalry, corralling 11-straight victories in those years. Outside of a five-year run for the Tigers from 2003 through 2007 in which they accomplished their premier win streak in the series, the Crimson Tide have supplanted themselves a step above LSU since 1971: Bama leads, 35-17-1, over the last 53 meetings.

This rivalry didn’t really start to turn into the passionate fixture it is today until Nick Saban entered the picture. He once coached LSU to four victories over Alabama and a national championship, but not long after leaving for the NFL, he was manning the sidelines in Tuscaloosa. LSU fans don’t like this too much, but that hasn’t affected anything on the field. The rematch in the 2011 season’s national championship game that went Alabama’s way, 21-0, has also played a role.

But the Tigers are the last to laugh right now. LSU defeated Alabama, 32-31, in Baton Rouge in 2022, snapping a two-game skid to the Crimson Tide in the narrow escape. Bama will have its chance at revenge in Tuscaloosa on the first Friday in November 2023, the same day these two have met for most of the last 15 years.

2: Tennessee – 104 Games (58-39-7, .558 win percentage)

This series experienced its first of seven ties in 1901, 6-6, in its first-ever game that never actually finished because it got too dark outside, and 1901 was a lot different from 2023. But that still frustrated fans, who reportedly stormed the field in protest of the artificially-induced tie. This is one of the many oddities in this series.

This half-concluded contest was played in Birmingham, the home of this relationship through 1908 and at many other times in its history. In total, 41 of the 104 all-time meetings between these two have taken place in Birmingham as it replaced Tuscaloosa as the site of Alabama’s “home” games in the series from 1932 through 1997. The Crimson Tide brought the series back to Tuscaloosa starting with the 1999 edition, which saw Tennessee win its seventh-straight contest over its arch rival.

This brings me to another unique characteristic of this rivalry: the streaks. This series is littered with lengthy periods of dominance from one side over the other. Only six times ever has the current holder of bragging rights failed to protect them after ending their opponent’s streak in the season before. The seven in a row the Volunteers put together from 1995 through 2001 is their longest in the rivalry, while Alabama’s best was from 2007 through 2021, reaching 15 before Tennessee finally put it to an end in 2022, 52-49, in Knoxville. We’ll find out on Oct. 21 if the tradition of streaks continues or if this will become the seventh time a newly-dominant force in the rivalry quickly hands back the crown.

There are many other great nuances to this one. The nickname, Third Saturday in October, is excellent, and the tradition to play almost all of the games in that month’s third weekend is fantastic. The victory cigars are quintessentially Southern and quintessentially college football, especially since Alabama decided to knowingly violate NCAA laws and self-report to keep it alive. It’s one of the most storied rivalries in the sport and one that has helped come to define the SEC.

1: Mississippi State – 106 Games (85-18-3, .802 win percentage)

It’s not Auburn, Tennessee, nor LSU that stands alone atop this list of Alabama football’s most-played opponents: it’s Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have been at it since 1896. Alabama won that one in Tuscaloosa, 20-0, like it’s won more than 80 percent of the contests against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have had very few footholds in this series, taking three-straight from 1912 through 1914, claiming three of four from 1954 through 1957, and getting four of five from 1996 through 2000. Otherwise, it’s been almost all Alabama.

The Crimson Tide went undefeated against the Bulldogs for 12 games from 1919 through 1934, added nine victories in a row from 1942 through 1952, and amassed their longest winning streak in the series of 22 from 1958 through 1979. Naturally, Alabama rattled off another 12-showdown sprint immediately after the 22-game streak ended. The Crimson Tide are well on their way to surpassing that mark currently as they command a 15-game run over their border foes that dates back to 2008.

Mississippi State has never beaten a ranked Bama team, and that didn’t stop in 2022 when Alabama walloped the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, 30-6, a standard score for this series. These teams will come together for the 107th time on Sept. 30 in Starkville, which is the only game currently scheduled between them. The SEC did not pair up the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs in its 2024 schedule, so unless this is the matchup in the 2024 SEC Championship, then 76-straight seasons of competition will come to a close.