Tennessee-Alabama Rematch Is Here, One Year After Floating Goalposts And Jermaine Burton Incident

TUSCALOOSA, Ala -- If you're a Tennessee or Alabama fan, this one-year anniversary will bring out different types of emotion heading into Saturday's rematch.

The postgame celebration last season was remembered for fans clad in orange storming the field, finally releasing 15 years of frustration, and it's also hard not to forget the incident involving Jermaine Burton.

From goalposts being thrown into the Tennessee River to the field looking like a Grateful Dead concert with smoke filling the air, everyone has a story. But that night in October also brought attention to the Alabama program, not only because of the loss.

While exiting the field through the madness, Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton put his hands on a female. The moment would follow him and Nick Saban through the following weeks of the season. There was no suspension, only an excuse that Burton feared for his well being, which has been up for argument since that night.

But one year later, it's become an afterthought, as Alabama looks for revenge and Tennessee hopes to start its own winning streak.

Alabama fans get creative with their signs for Tennessee fans near the stadium. (OutKick)

Tennessee Basked In The Glory Of Finally Beating Nick Saban

It was certainly a long time coming, almost 16 years since Tennessee had beaten Alabama. The Vols had close encounters with a win, but couldn't get past the Tide, which caused fans to wonder when that day would finally come. But that was about to change, thanks to a quarterback named Hendon Hooker.

Through the haze of smoke and the sound of 'Dixieland Delight' being played over the speakers, Tennessee's staff and players celebrated with fans. From the second Josh Heupel got off the plane in Knoxville for his introductory press conference, he quickly found out the magnitude of this rivalry.

Tennessee fans storm the field following the 2022 win over Alabama.

The 2022 matchup will go down as one of the best college football games in the last decade, with memories that will last a lifetime for the fans wearing orange. And even though they tried to prevent fans from taking down the goalposts, security officials finally gave in after 10 minutes. The goalposts ended up in frat houses, homes of donors, and the Tennessee River.

But as we head into another clash on the 'Third Week In October,' Alabama fans are ready to have their revenge. After years of celebrating, fans wearing Houndstooth gear knew how the Tennessee faithful felt, and it didn't sit well.

"They Beat Us, Then Tried To Make Us Out To Be The Villains"

No matter how you look at what happened on the field involving Jermaine Burton following the loss, it was clear something had gone wrong. Did the female college student say something to Jermaine Burton that led to him putting his hands on her? Did Burton fear for his well-being from the young female student?

We'll probably never know he true answer to that second question, but at least one Alabama fan had their opinion on the postgame incident.

"When you've got thousands of fans rushing the field and you're just trying to get to the locker room, I'm sure it was scary," one Alabama fan said on Friday. "Should he have put his hands on her? No, but Tennessee fans and the media turned it into a hit-job that wasn't warranted. I trust Coach's (Nick Saban) judgement, and if he felt Burton was in danger, then I take him at his word.

"They (Tennessee) beat us, then tried to make us out to be the villains. Like, give me a break. You won the game, don't act all high and mighty. That's the one thing I despise about Tennessee fans, trying to chum the waters with those videos. I bet you wrote about it, especially if you're asking me. Nothing against what you do for a living, but that was blown out of proportion."

As for being the villain, that comes with being Alabama. Every team wants their pound of flesh, as Nick Saban has been a nightmare for opposing teams during his coaching career. For Jermaine Burton, he's made folks forget about that night last year, thanks to the headlines he's making on the football field.

Regarding the game on Saturday, I imagine Burton will have a little extra motivation, along with the entire football team.

Tuscaloosa Preparing For Tennessee-Alabama Hostile Rematch

The quad is packed with tents on this Friday afternoon, one-by-one, Alabama has capitalized on the tailgate experience. Thousands of fans will take to the strip on Friday night and Saturday morning, looking for the best place to hydrate before the 3:30 kickoff. You could see the workers lining the streets with parking cones, while students rushed to class, looking to knock that one final assignment out before the weekend begins.

There were Tennessee fans making their way around campus, taking pictures in-front of the stadium, while also getting yelled at by a few fraternity members.

"Enjoy it now, tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. Roll Tide A--hole," one frat member politely said to the fan wearing a Power T.

"It still hurts, doesn't it? I'll be back here tomorrow smoking a cigar in front of your house, more than welcomed to join me," the Tennessee fan responded.

This game was already building towards a hostile environment you'd see at European soccer games, and this was a nice, subtle way to kick things off.

Revenge is on the minds of Alabama fans, while those invading Tuscaloosa from the North are looking to add to their misery, with back-to-back victories.

I don't know how this game will play out on Saturday afternoon, but I do know that it's hard to top the hatred these fanbases have for each other. All for the love of college football.