Tennessee announces Neyland Stadium sold out for Florida game on Sept. 24

Florida almost certainly won’t be a top-10 team when it rolls into Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 24 but that hasn’t stopped Tennessee fans from making sure the Gators will walk into a sold out Neyland Stadium.

The program announced Wednesday the SEC opener is now sold out.

It will be the first sold out game for Tennessee since last year’s game against Ole Miss on Oct. 16. Florida currently ranks No. 18 in the country, having lost last weekend to No. 9 Kentucky. Tennessee is 2-0 with wins over Ball State and Pittsburgh.

Though the Florida game is the first sold out one since Ole Miss, the Volunteers still have a chance to sell out this week’s game against Akron. Vols athletics director Danny White tweeted Tuesday evening that only about 1,000 tickets remain for this weekend’s contest.

Flipping the script in Florida series key for Tennessee

If Vols fans are eager to see if Josh Heupel‘s second-year squad quarterbacked by Hendon Hooker can take down the Gators, it’s for good reason.

Florida has won 16 of the last 17 in the annual rivalry and it’s hard to see Heupel having much sustained success until that series comes back into better balance. Tennessee’s lone win dating back to 2005 came in 2016, when Florida lost 38-28 in Knoxville. Both teams were ranked in that contest.

With the Volunteers currently sitting at No. 15 in the AP Top 25, this year’s meeting with the Gators should be the first ranked-on-ranked matchup since 2017, when No. 23 Tennessee traveled to No. 24 Florida.

Florida will host USF this weekend, while Tennessee hosts Akron. Barring an unexpected upset, the Sept. 24 showdown in Knoxville should be a highly anticipated one.

Neyland Stadium is sold out and there will be plenty on the line in the SEC East title race.