And after a report from On3's Chirs Low, one of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s rivals is missing from it.

For the first time since 1964, Alabama will not play the LSU Tigers on an annual basis.

It was certainly a shock to the college football landscape, given how storied the Alabama/LSU rivalry has been over the years.

The Crimson Tide’s three annual opponents will unsurprisingly be Auburn and Tennessee, but in a fascinating turn of events, Mississippi State made the list for the Tide.

Alabama’s rivalry with Mississippi State, otherwise known as “The Battle for Highway 82” due to the 82.5 mile highway that separates Bryant-Denny Stadium and Dean Wade Stadium, mainly has to do with the fact that Tuscaloosa is closer to Starkville than any other SEC opponent. Not only that, Alabama hasn’t played any other program more than it has than Mississippi State.

Last season was the first season in 79 years that these two programs didn’t link up, and prior to that, the Tide has dominated the Bulldogs in 16 consecutive meetings.

Still, keeping a one-sided rivalry alive does seem to be a curious choice. There haven’t been very meaningful matchups between the two programs considering that during that 16 year period where Alabama has dominated, Mississippi State has only scored more than 20 points twice.

As mentioned before, keeping the rivalry between Auburn and Tennessee was a no brainer. The Iron Bowl and the Third Saturday of October has consistently been must-see TV for college football fans across the nation.

The Iron Bowl has featured many dazzling games such as the “Grave Digger” play, the First Overtime, the Kick Six, and the Camback. There’s always a feeling in the air when both of these programs battle it out.

The Third Saturday of October is oddly enough on a whole different level. If you ask some of the more diehard Alabama fans, they’ll tell you that Tennessee is more hated among Tuscaloosa than Auburn is.

Some would say "they some snitches."

There’s a ferocity, an anger, and a nastiness to this rivalry that you don’t see often, and whichever team gets the win, them and the fans light up a victory cigar to celebrate.

Tennessee has had Alabama’s number over the past three seasons though, winning two out of the last three meetups. In Kalen DeBoer’s first season in 2024, the Tide fell to the Volunteers by the score of 24-17.

For the 2025 season, Alabama will play Tennessee on October 18th and play Auburn on November 29th. It will not face Mississippi State again this season, but will take on LSU on November 8th.