Tennessee Football to play three ‘traditional’ rivalry games in SEC’s new nine-game schedule

The Southeastern Conference on Thursday announced it will move to a nine-game conference schedule for the 2026 football season, with each team having three permanent games to preserve “traditional” rivalries while the other six games rotate.

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 SEC’s announcement on Thursday did not include further information on the three rivalry games.

The league announced it will continue with a single-standings, non-divisional structure and will mandate that SEC teams play at least one non-conference opponent from a power conference — a team from either the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 or Notre Dame. 

“The SEC has established itself as the leader in delivering the most compelling football schedule in college athletics,” SEC commissioner GregSankey 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.”

A closer look at Tennessee Football’s rivalries

Tennessee Football’s three most traditional rivals are Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. 

The Kentucky series is the most played, with 120 games dating back to 1893. The Vanderbilt series is the oldest, with its 119 games dating back to 1892. Tennessee and Alabama have played 107 times since 1901 and the Vols have played Georgia, Florida and Auburn 54 times each. 

The SEC’s eight-game schedule this season mirrors what the league used last season, with game locations flipped.

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). 

What We Know: Tennessee’s future schedules

Tennessee has at least one non-conference game scheduled through the 2030 season, including an opponent from a power conference on each schedule. 

The Vols host Furman, go to Georgia Tech and play Kennesaw State in 2026. In 2027 it will be Tennessee State, Georgia Tech and Western Michigan all at home. 

Tennessee plays West Virginia in Charlotte in 2028 and starts a home-and-home with Washington in 2029, playing in Knoxville first, then going to Seattle in 2030. 

The West Virginia game in 2028 and the Washington series are currently the only non-conference games scheduled for the 2028, 2029 and 2030 schedules.