Tennessee Football will begin its 2026 season with a home game against Furman on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Neyland Stadium. It’ll be the start of Josh Heupel’s sixth year on Rocky Top and the first with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
According to Tennessee, the Vols and Paladins will square off at 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ and ESPN+. It’s the first time since 2022 that Tennessee has started its season-opening game later than 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee is undefeated in season openers during the Josh Heupel era, and it’s hard to think that streak won’t continue this year. The Vols defeated Bowling Green 38-6 in 2021, Ball State 59-10 in 2022, Virginia 49-13 in 2023, Chattanooga 69-3 in 2024, and Syracuse 45-26 in 2025.
Furman is one of three non-conference games that kick off Tennessee’s 2026 season before a nine-game SEC slate. The Vols will travel to Georgia Tech for a 7:00 p.m. game in Week 2 and will host Kennesaw State in a 7:30 p.m. game in Week 3. Tennessee will then start the SEC schedule with two home games against Texas and Auburn.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s 2026 schedule:
- Sept. 5 – vs Furman (3:30 p.m. on SECN+/ESPN+)
- Sept. 12 – at Georgia Tech (7:00 p.m. on ESPN)
- Sept. 19 – vs Kennesaw State (7:45 p.m. on SECN)
- Sept. 26 – vs Texas
- Oct. 3 – vs Auburn
- Oct. 10 – at Arkansas
- Oct. 17 – vs Alabama
- Oct. 24 – at South Carolina
- Oct. 31 – OPEN
- Nov. 7 – vs Kentucky
- Nov. 14 – at Texas A&M
- Nov. 21 – vs LSU
- Nov. 28 – at Vanderbilt
More From RTI: Where Josh Heupel Lands in CBS Sports’ Best College Football Coaches Rankings
A post on Reddit CFB from April organized the schedules of all 138 FBS teams based on opponents’ success in 2025. Tennessee has the 20th-ranked schedule in the nation based on 2025 records, which is the 11th highest in the SEC. Texas and Kentucky have the two most difficult schedules in the country, according to the rankings.
Furman finished the 2025 season with a 6-6 overall record, going 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road. The Paladins played Clemson in their final game of the year, losing by a score of 45-10 on the road.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Football coverage this offseason.
