Tennessee and North Carolina State are finalizing a deal to play each other in football during the 2024 season, the News & Observer first reported over the weekend.
Both the Vols are Wolfpack are looking for a power five non conference opponent to face in the 2024 season due to conference expansion.
Tennessee was originally scheduled to host Oklahoma in Knoxville during the 2024 season before the SEC advised them to cancel the game due to the Sooners impending move to the SEC. While the current timetable doesn’t have Oklahoma joining the SEC until the 2025 season, the series wouldn’t be over by the time the Sooners joined the conference.
North Carolina State is looking for a strong opponent to face out of ACC play after its game against BYU was cancelled due to the Cougars impending move to the Big 12.
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According to the News & Observer report, the game will be played in Charlotte to kick off the 2024 football season.
The Vols and Wolfpack last faced each other in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kick Off. Tennessee earned a, 35-21, win over North Carolina State — its first of just five wins in Derek Dooley’s final season as head coach.
Ironically, Tennessee had a game scheduled at BYU for the 2023 season but the matchup was cancelled and the Vols added a neutral site game against Virginia in Nashville instead.
If the game is finalized, Tennessee would have three neutral site non conference games against ACC schools scheduled in the next three years. On top of the 2023 Virginia and 2024 North Carolina State games, the Vols are scheduled to face Syracuse in the 2025 Chick-fil-A Kick Off.
Tennessee’s other scheduled marquee non conference matchups include a home-and-home with Nebraska in 2026-27, a neutral site game against West Virginia in 2028 and a home-and-home against Washington in 2029-30.
