Where Tennessee-NC State is ranked among the best non-conference games this season
Tennessee Football’s Week 2 matchup against North Carolina State is the eighth best non-conference game of the college football season, according to On3’s Jesse Simonton. The Vols and Wolfpack meet September 7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.
Kickoff for the neutral-site game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.
“This is a really fun matchup between two programs that exist within similar tiers in their respective conferences — not at the top but aiming to chase a championship and make the College Football Playoff,” Simonton wrote. “Both teams are coming off nine-win seasons, with the nation set to get its first real glimpse of five-star phenom Nico Iamaleava.
“Tennessee’s rebuilt secondary will be tested by NC State’s new-look, portal-makeover offense that includes All-ACC playmaker KC Concepcion, quarterback Grayson McCall and transfer receivers Noah Rogers and Wesley Grimes.”
The No. 1 non-conference game was Texas at Michigan on September 7, ahead of Miami at Florida (August 31), LSU vs. USC in Las Vegas (September 1), Georgia vs. Clemson (August 31), Notre Dame at Texas A&M (August 31), Penn State at West Virginia (August 31) and Florida State at Notre Dame (November 9).
No. 9 on the list was Alabama at Wisconsin (September 14) and Colorado at Nebraska (September 7).
Vols ranked No. 9 overall in ESPN’s Football Power Index
Tennessee came in at No. 9 overall in ESPN’s first FPI update for the 2024 season, with a projected record of 8.6-3.5. The Vols have a 95.4% chance to win six games or more and a 36.9% chance to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.
“Tennessee’s ranking more closely resembles that of its 2022 breakout campaign,” ESPN’s Neil Paine wrote, “than 2023, when they came back to Earth”.
The FPI gives Tennessee a 5.5% chance to win the SEC, a 6.0% chance to make the national championship game and a 2.7% chance to win the national title.
North Carolina State, meanwhile, is ranked No. 28 overall in the FPI. The Wolfpack have a 90.6% chance to win six or more games, a 7.5% chance to win the ACC and a 13.9% chance to make the College Football Playoff.
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Kickoff times, kickoff windows for Tennessee this season
Kickoff times and TV information for four Tennessee games this season have been announced, while kickoff windows are set for the other eight.
The season-opener against Chattanooga on August 31 will be a 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time start, the N.C. State game on September 7 in Charlotte is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, Kent State on September 14 will kick at 7:45 p.m. ET and the UTEP game on November 23 will be a 1 p.m. ET start.
The Chattanooga and Kent State games will be televised by SEC Network, the N.C. State game will be on ABC and UTEP will be an ESPN+/SEC Network+ streaming game.
The SEC and ESPN last week announced kickoff windows — early, afternoon, night or flex — across the league. Early games will start between Noon and 1 p.m. Afternoon games are between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. and night games will be between 6 and 8 p.m. Flex games could fall between 3:30-4:30 or 6-8.
Tennessee’s flex games include Oklahoma (September 21), Arkansas (September 28), Florida (October 5) and Alabama (October 12). Night games will be Kentucky (November 2) and Mississippi State (November 9) and the Vanderbilt game on November 30 will be in the early window.
