Paul Finebaum explains why he believes Alabama-Tennessee will be more important than Georgia-Texas on Saturday

It's finally the week of the Third Saturday in October, an event on the calendar that fans of the Tennessee Vols have had circled for quite some time.

However, the importance of this game in 2024 now extends well beyond the boundaries of Knoxville, Tennessee.  With both the Vols and the Alabama Crimson Tide entering the contest at 5-1 and on a downward trajectory, it's a game that has been suggested by some as being an elimination game for the 2024 College Football Playoff.

That's why ESPN's Paul Finebaum sees the clash between Alabama and Tennessee having more importance than the weekend's marquee game between the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs.

"Absolutely, because, for Alabama, all the good will from - I'm speaking committee wise now, because I'm just depending on the people that actually know this stuff - this would almost count as a third loss, because they're not giving them any credit for beating South Carolina. So, you look at that and go yeah, but - and I'll leave the rest of the schedule on the other side.  But, to me, it would be a cataclysmic loss.

"If Tennessee can win, then I think they're back in the conversation very easily, but I think the loser is probably going to pack it in, because Tennessee will still have Georgia left. They've got a couple of other games, and we've already gone over the Alabama schedule, which, prickly.

"Don't look now, but suddenly, the SEC is really wobbly. Even Georgia is no sure thing right now because of its schedule. I think it's easy to say - I don't want to take anything away from Austin, because I realize the entire world will be there - but the game in Knoxville, playoff-wise, holds more importance ."

It's certainly curious to see the Crimson Tide in the position of being potentially knocked out of the playoff conversation by Tennessee.  If that truly was the case, then I think that the case would be there for Alabama-Tennessee to potentially be the game of the weekend.

However, as the voters have already indicated, Alabama operates on a different scale from the rest of the college football world.  While Finebaum considered the South Carolina game as a "loss", the voters didn't by leaving them at #7 this week .

The season also is still just at its halfway point.  A loss by either Tennessee or Alabama could still potentially be forgiven by winning out.  It surely would be for Alabama simply because of their name alone.  They will get the benefit of the doubt 10 times out of 10.

A loss by Tennessee on Saturday might not be fatal if they were to win out.  Winning late - and how you look at the end of the season - seems to matter with the committee, and five-game winning streak with a win over Georgia would surely put the Vols back in the conversation.  Now, of course, whether they could pull that off is a completely different story.

In short, Finebaum is right that the Third Saturday in October could be more important than Georgia-Texas if it was indeed an elimination game. But it's likely not at this point.  There's simply too much football left to be played.

Related: Josh Heupel's postgame reaction with his players to Tennessee Vols' win over Florida Gators spoke volumes