Starting in 2026, every team’s schedule in the SEC is going to look quite different. The conference is making the move from eight to nine games against other SEC foes. Teams, including Tennessee football, will play three foes on an annual basis and rotate games against the other 12 across the next four seasons.
Through 2026-2029, every school will have played every other team in the SEC both home and away. Before the 2030 season, there will be a reevaluation of the trio of annual opponents to see if any adjustments need to be made. The conference has already stated that it will take into account historical rivalries and the current level of teams in this decision.
In the case of the Vols, Tennessee pulled Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt for its three teams. These are the three programs that the Vols have played the most throughout their storied history on the gridiron.
“Well, I do think rivalries matter,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday. “It’s part of the tradition of this game, fan bases pointing to those football games… I know that the league, that’s something that’s been important to them to try to protect some of those special games for universities and their fan bases.”
On Tuesday night, the SEC unveiled the conference schedules for all 16 teams over the next four seasons. Paired with confirmed out-of-conference games through 2030 on Tennessee’s schedule, we now have a good look at what UT’s slate of games will look like going forward.
Here’s the year-by-year breakdown.
More From RTI: What MSU HC Jeff Lebby Said About Former Tennessee Linebacker Jalen Smith
2026
Out-of-Conference
- at Georgia Tech
- Furman
- Kennesaw State
SEC
- Home (5): Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Texas
- Away (4): Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
2027
Out-of-Conference
- Georgia Tech
- Tennessee State
- Western Michigan
SEC
- Home (4): Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
- Away (5): Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma
2028
Out-of-Conference
- West Virginia (Charlotte)
- TBD
- TBD
SEC
- Home (5): Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M
- Away (4): Auburn, LSU, Texas, Vanderbilt
2029
Out-of-Conference
- Washington
- TBD
- TBD
SEC
- Home (4): Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt
- Away (5): Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
2030
Out-of-Conference
- at Washington
- TBD
- TBD
SEC
- Conference slate is TBD, three annual opponents will also be reconsidered at this time
