Most head coaches don’t want their team looking ahead to a game down the line. Many times, the dreaded “trap game” will leap up and snatch the hopes away from a team aspiring to reach greatness.

Then again…most coaches aren’t Nick Saban.

Via a report from Aaron Suttles, Saban revealed that his players think the Oct. 15 game in Knoxville versus the Tennessee Volunteers is the most important contest on the schedule in 2016.

Assuming the two teams win out up until the middle of October, we may be in line for a preview of the conference title game in Atlanta. Should Tennessee win this weekend against Georgia, the Volunteers will be a heavy favorite to win the East.

Alabama has a more difficult road — with Texas A&M and LSU still on the schedule. However, no one will count out the Crimson Tide in any scenario.