There appears to be a change to Tennessee's 2026 football schedule
In June 2022, Tennessee Football and Western Michigan signed off on a game contract for the 2026 season. The Vols agreed to pay the Broncos $1.2 million for a game scheduled for September 19, 2026.
That game now seems to be on the move.
It was reported on Thursday by FBSschedules.com that Western Michigan has added a home-and-home series with Rice, with Western Michigan scheduled to start the series at Rice on September 19, 2026.
Tennessee currently has contracts with nine non-conference opponents spread over the next six seasons: Washington, Nebraska, Syracuse, West Virginia, New Mexico State, UAB, Furman, ETSU and Western Michigan.
Vols facing same eight SEC opponents in 2024, 2025
Tennessee SEC schedule this season includes road games at Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and Vanderbilt. The Vols host Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State and Kentucky.
It was announced in March that the same SEC schedule would be played next season, with Tennessee hosting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and Vanderbilt and going on the road to face Florida, Alabama, Mississippi State and Kentucky.
The SEC requires league teams to play at least one opponent from a power conference along with the eight-game league schedule. The Vols this season face North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic on September7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
No. 15 Tennessee opens the new season against Chattanooga on Saturday, scheduled for a 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time start (TV: SEC Network) inside a sold-out Neyland Stadium.
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Tennessee scheduled to face Nebraska, Washington on future schedules
Future schedules on Tennessee’s athletics website list three games for the 2026 season. Furman is the season opener on September 5. The Vols are scheduled to go Nebraska on September 12 and then return home to host Western Michigan on September 19.
The Nebraska game is part of a home-and-home series that has the Cornhuskers coming to Knoxville in 2027.
The Tennessee-Nebraska series was originally scheduled for 2016 and 2017, but was pushed back a decade after the Vols added Virginia Tech in the Battle at Bristol for the 2016 season.
Tennessee’s non-conference schedule in 2025 consists of a neutral-site game against Syracuse in Atlanta, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, as well as home dates with ETSU, UAB and New Mexico State.
The Vols are scheduled to play West Virginia in Charlotte in 2028 and start a home-and-home with Washington at Neyland Stadium in 2029, before goin to Seattle in 2030.
