When Alabama and Tennessee meet Oct. 22 in Tuscaloosa, it will be two college football rivals passing like ships in the night.

One is steaming full speed ahead on a course charted from the doldrums to good times, possibly even a major holiday destination.

The other, battered by high seas, is taking on water faster than the bilge pumps can channel it back out.

By the time the final horn sounds Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., Alabama should be 6-0 for the first time since 1996.

Mike Shula has graduated from remedial coaching. In fact, that chiseled jaw bears more resemblance to his old man with every passing week.

There will be no horn for Tennessee on Saturday. The Vols are idle.

A moment of silence will be appropriate to ponder where their season goes from here, now that national, SEC and even Eastern Division titles are (realistically) off the table.

The notion that UT had rescued its season with that terrific second half at LSU two weeks ago was nothing more than illusion.

That illusion lingered through a desultory win over Ole Miss, but it was shattered Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. A 27-14 loss to Georgia exposed the Vols' recurring inadequacies on offense and special teams.

Had Tennessee played Alabama's schedule so far, perhaps the Vols would still be unbeaten. Arguably, they could have muddled through against the likes of Middle Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas and Southern Miss and risen to the occasion for one cohesive effort to handle Florida at home.

But three cohesive efforts have been required against top-10 opponents Florida, LSU and Georgia and the Vols haven't measured up.

Now, another top-10 effort is required and on the road at that.

Sixth-ranked Alabama has had a week to come down off Cloud Nine after hammering Florida 31-3 on Oct. 1 to improve to 5-0. Nice work for a team that went 6-6 last year.

"I certainly have to take my hat off to what they've accomplished,'' UT head coach Phillip Fulmer said Sunday night.

When the 2005 season kicked off, Tennessee was ranked No. 3 and Alabama was among "others receiving votes.''

The Vols were a consensus pick to win the SEC title. Alabama was projected to finish third in the West behind LSU and Auburn.

In The Sporting News preseason magazine on my desk, Brodie Croyle was ranked as the fourth-best quarterback in the SEC, two slots below Erik Ainge.

Remember Erik Ainge?

The knock on Alabama's prospects this fall was that if Croyle got hurt, well, it was all over.

Halfway into October, Croyle is alive and well and so is the Crimson Tide.

Alabama's defense ranks sixth in the nation, allowing only 251 yards per game. So what are the Vols' chances of getting their offense well in Tuscaloosa?

What are the Vols' chances of getting their offense well in Tupelo or Taos for that matter?

"We've always prided ourselves in being a chameleon offense, where we can do a lot of things,'' said Fulmer. "Right now, we're not doing anything consistent enough.''

They sure don't score consistently enough.

The Vols rank 96th of 117 Division I-A teams in scoring offense. It would be much worse without a big helping hand from the defense.

Tennessee's defense has scored one touchdown and set up short fields for four others by producing turnovers.

"We've got two choices,'' said Fulmer. "We can roll over and play dead or we can dang sure fight back.''

Fight back to what, the Outback Bowl?

As for Alabama, the sailing gets rougher from here. UT, LSU and Auburn lie ahead.

For now, though, life is good. Observing UT's and (especially) Fulmer's anguish is almost as enjoyable to 'Bama fans as the Tide's unbeaten season.

The Vols began this voyage with visions of grandeur. So did the Titanic.

And when these two old enemies steam up to each other in Tuscaloosa, don't look for anybody in Crimson to throw the Vols a life preserver.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.