KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)

Saturday is Tennessee football’s fifth game vs. the UAB Blazers. In the other four seasons, the Volunteers have one national title and three losing seasons.

In recent years, seasons for Tennessee football haven’t ended well when they faced the University of Alabama-Birmingham. And it’s not just tied to the post-Phillip Fulmer era. In fact, the Vols have only faced the UAB Blazers once during that time period.

The two faced off in 2010, Derek Dooley’s first year, and UT won in overtime. They paid for it with a four-game losing streak to follow starting with the 13-men on the field penalty the next week against the LSU Tigers on the road. By the time the losing streak ended, they were 2-6. They rebounded to finish 6-6 only to lose a heartbreaker in their bowl to finish 6-7.

Before that, though, the other two times this century Tennessee football faced UAB were in 2005 and 2008. They won in a blowout in 2008 after starting the year 0-1 with a loss to the UCLA Bruins. That just happened to be en route to a 5-7 season that got Fulmer fired.

In 2005, they opened the season ranked No. 3 and faced UAB, only to win 17-10. That was a sign of a program that was about to collapse, and they did just that, finishing 5-6, their first losing season in 17 years. In the process, they also had their first loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in 23 years.

So Fulmer’s only two losing seasons on Rocky Top just happened to come when he played UAB. The Vols’ other matchup with UAB this century, in 2010, also resulted in a losing season. But there’s one year they faced UAB in which this went the opposite way.

That year was in 1998. UT faced the Blazers in a homecoming matchup with a 7-0 record and were ranked No. 2 in the nation. They won that game 37-13. What was the result of that victory? Well, the same day, the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were upset by the Michigan State Spartans and a young, upstart coach named Nick Saban.

As a result, Tennessee football made it to No. 1 in the nation the next week. They also went on to win the national title. What does this say about when the Vols play the UAB Blazers? Well, these are the only four seasons that happened. And they either won the national title or finished the year with a losing record.

UT isn’t winning any national title this year. The Vols aren’t winning any title. So if this pattern holds, it means they will have a losing season again. But that won’t be a total loss. As they did in 2010, they could make a bowl game while having a losing season. And just like 2010, they will end October with a losing record this year.

Okay, this is all talking about the way the stars align. Every season truly stands on its own, and this should all be irrelevant for Tennessee football. But it is interesting to think about as the Vols get set to face the Blazers for the fifth time in school history.