Tennessee football will open SEC Media Days on July 20 in Tampa, alongside Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma. The even is being held in Tampa for the first time and will take place at the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott July 20-23.

Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt are scheduled for July 21, then Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M on July 22 and Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Texas on July 23.

Tennessee opens the new season on September 5 against Furman at Neyland Stadium. The Vols then go to Georgia Tech on September 12, host Kennesaw State on September 19 and open SEC play at home against Texas on September 19.

Tennessee plays three of first four SEC games at home

The SEC schedule starts with three of four games at home, against Texas, Auburn (October 3) and Alabama (October 10). Tennessee play on the road at Arkansas (October 10), South Carolina (October 24), Texas A&M (November 14) and Vanderbilt (November 28). Tennessee’s other SEC home games are Kentucky (November 7) and LSU (November 21). 

The 2026 season will be Tennessee’s first schedule without both Georgia and Florida since 1992. 

The Vols have never played Texas in the regular season. The three previous meetings were all in the Cotton Bowl, with the Vols winning 20-14 on New Year’s Day 1951 and the Longhorns winning 16-0 on New Year’s Day 1953 and 36-13 on New Year’s Day 1969.

Tennessee and Auburn haven’t played since 2020 and South Carolina has been off the schedule the last two seasons. The Vols beat Texas A&M at home in 2023, but haven’t played the Aggies on the road since 2016. They won at LSU in 2022 but haven’t hosted the Tigers since 2017. 

Tennessee’s Future Schedules 

The SEC in September announced Tennessee’s three annual rivals in the new nine-game format are Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Opponents are set for the next four seasons, with each team playing its three rivals while rotating through the league with the other six games. 

The Kentucky series is Tennessee’s most played, with 120 games dating back to 1893, and the Vanderbilt series is the oldest, with its 119 games dating back to 1892. Tennessee-Alabama is the most notable rivalry for the Vols, though, with the ‘Third Saturday in October’ having been played 107 times since 1901.

2027
Home (4): Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Away (5): Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma

2028
Home (5): Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M
Away (4): Auburn, LSU, Texas, Vanderbilt

2029
Home (4): Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt
Away (5): Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Tennessee’s upcoming non-conference opponents

Tennessee has non-conference opponents scheduled through the 2030 season, including a power-conference opponent for each of the next five seasons.

After hosting Furman and Kennesaw State and going to Georgia Tech this seaosn, the Vols host Tennessee State, Georgia Tech and Western Michigan in 2027.

Tennessee and West Virginia will play a neutral-site game in Charlotte, N.C., in 2028. The Vols then have a home-and-home with Washington, starting in Knoxville in 2029 before going to Seattle in 2030.