Tennessee Football already meets SEC's new scheduling criteria
Tennessee Football doesn’t have to worry about one part of the Southeastern Conference’s new scheduling policy. The Vols already have opponents from power conferences scheduled over the next five seasons, which the SEC announced as a new rule put in place beginning next season.
The SEC announced a new nine-game league schedule, with teams playing three “traditional” rivals with a rotation for the other six games. SEC teams will also have to have one opponent on schedule from either the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12, or Notre Dame.
Tennessee already satisfies the new rule with games against Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Washington over the next five seasons.
Vols play Georgia Tech on the road next season
The Vols next season go to Georgia Tech on September 12 and then host the Yellow Jackets in Knoxville in 2027. The Georgia Tech series replaced Nebraska, which cancelled a home-and-home with Tennessee earlier this year.
Tennessee will play West Virginia in 2028 in a neutral-site game in Charlotte, N.C., a 2018 rematch between the two teams in the same city.
The Vols are scheduled to host Washington on September 1, 2029 and go to Seattle to face the Huskies on September 7, 2030.
The 2026 non-conference schedule also includes Furman on September 5 and Kennesaw State on September 19. The 2027 non-conference slate includes Tennessee State on September 4 and Western Michigan on September 18.
West Virginia in 2028 and the Washington series in 2029 and 2030 are the only three games currently scheduled for those three seasons.
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Season Opener: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, August 30, Atlanta
Tennessee, which opens the new season August 30 against Syracuse in Atlanta (Noon Eastern Time, ABC), will play SEC home games against Georgia (September 13), Arkansas (October 11), Oklahoma (November 1) and Vanderbilt (November 29) at home.
The Vols play SEC road games at Mississippi State (September 27), at Alabama (October 18), at Kentucky (October 25) and at Florida (November 22).
The SEC’s announcement on Thursday did not include further information on the three rivalry games. The rotation among the other six opponents will mean every SEC team will face every other team in the league at least once every two years and every opponent home and away within four years.
The league also announced it will continue with a single-standings, non-divisional structure.
“The SEC has established itself as the leader in delivering the most compelling football schedule in college athletics,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in the league’s press release announcing the scheduling decision.
“Fans will see traditional rivalries preserved, new matchups more frequently, and a level of competition unmatched across the nation.”
