It’s the Third Saturday in October. Alabama shouldn’t have needed extra motivation against Tennessee. It’s a rivalry game, after all.

Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide weren’t especially sharp early against the Volunteers. Quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn’t overly effective through the air. Running backs Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough were contained to some degree on the ground.

Keep in mind that ‘Bama is the unanimous No. 1 team in the country and had been dominant — be it at home, on the road or at a neutral site — so far this season. UT, on the other hand, was coming off back-to-back losses in SEC play and nowhere the Top 25. Fifth-year coach Butch Jones is sitting on the hottest seat in the conference.

Tide coach Nick Saban, who is undefeated against the Vols since arriving in Tuscaloosa, wasn’t in much of a mood to talk.

“We didn’t do very well in practice all week, so it’s a good lesson that if you don’t prepare right for the game, you’re not going to play well in the game,” he said to CBS Sports sideline reporter Allie LaForce. “We don’t have a lot of energy. We didn’t have a lot of enthusiasm. I’m not really pleased with the way we played, even though in the last two drives we were a little better.”

By the way, it was 21-0 in favor of Saban’s club at the time. Scarbrough had scored a pair of touchdowns on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, plus Harris had an 11-yard TD of his own. His defense had surrendered a grand total of 66 yards in 30 minutes.

This is how far apart these two programs are in 2017, though. Alabama came out of the locker room flat and maybe even disinterested. Tennessee, conversely, was putting up a commendable fight — despite being an FCS-like 36.5-point underdog — and refused to go gentle into that good night. Say what you will about Jones, but his kids play hard for him.

And yet this game felt over from the moment Scarbrough went over the top to make it 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

Saban was comfortable enough at 28-0 to pull Hurts in favor of backup Tua Tagovailoa with 10:05 left in the third quarter.

Volunteers QB Jarrett Guarantano, making his second start after taking over for the much-maligned Quinten Dormady, was 9-of-16 for 44 yards and got blasted repeatedly. His all-white uniform will need a gallon of bleach to get clean again.

UT played 12 quarters — dating back to the first half of an unimpressive victory over then-winless UMass on Sept. 24 — without crossing the goal line. Credit Guarantano for refusing to back down from the most terrifying defense in America, but the fact that he’s a better athlete than Dormady has provided no spark offensively whatsoever.

Saban was comfortable enough at 28-0 to pull Hurts in favor of backup Tua Tagovailoa with 10:05 left in the third quarter.

The Vols broke their dubious touchdown-less streak when linebacker Daniel Bituli intercepted Tagovailoa for a 97-yard pick six halfway through the third quarter. The defense finally found paydirt, not the offense. That’s telling.

Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, not even the one highlight of the day for Tennessee could escape controversy. Shortly after Bituli mercifully put some points on the board, defensive back Rashaan Gaulden — he’d been playing so well in the secondary, too — flipped a double bird to the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd and got himself a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It was indicative of a Volunteers team suffering from an inferiority complex and unable to control its collective emotions.

Needless to say, beating 'Bama on a regular basis isn't reasonable for any coach. Still, the game has to at least be competitive more often than not. The aggregate score is a laughable 94-17 the last two seasons in favor of the Tide.

Again, this is Year 5 for Jones. No more excuses about the roster he inherited from Derek Dooley. No more excuses about not having an heir apparent to Joshua Dobbs under center. No more excuses about the lengthy injury report.

UT is going nowhere, and everybody knows it. While there have been some sensational wins during Jones’s tenure, they’ve been drown out by too many spectacular defeats. The Vols are arguably further away from the Crimson Tide — this is 11 straight in the series for ‘Bama — than ever before. It’s not a matter of if Jones will be fired. It’s a matter of when.

The Tide student section chanted “Keep Butch Jones!” throughout the second half. Why not? He’s never beaten them and never will.

Is it fair to judge Jones for a 45-7 bludgeoning at the hands of the top-ranked team in the land? No, it’s not. Alabama is loaded beyond all comparison on offense, defense and special teams. Tennessee is bombed out and depleted.

However, Jones knew the expectations when he came to Knoxville. There’s a reason why nobody — outside of Jones himself — is impressed with back-to-back 9-win seasons and three straight bowl triumphs over a bunch of Big Ten also-rans. He was supposed to return Rocky Top to its rightful place among the league’s true superpowers.

And that means beating the Crimson Tide. The Volunteers face them every year as a crossover clash despite being in different divisions.

Needless to say, besting ‘Bama on a regular basis isn’t reasonable for any coach. Still, the game has to at least be competitive more often than not. The aggregate score is a laughable 94-17 the last two seasons in favor of the Tide.

UT fans have been talking about their dream hires for weeks. Jon Gruden rumors. Chip Kelly rumors. Lane Kiffin rumors — yes, that Lane Kiffin. Most of them are downright ludicrous. Just how attractive is this job right now? Honestly, I’m not sure. And to the dismay of many, Jones is still gainfully employed. More than likely, he will be in seven days at Kentucky.

Since the Tide began the season atop the rankings, it’s hard to say that they’re better than we thought they’d be. But here’s one thing that’s not hard to say: The Vols are worse.