Tennessee Football’s 2026 SEC opponents have been revealed for quite some time now. In fact, we know who Tennessee will be facing off against from the conference through the 2029 football season. But we won’t have to wait much longer to find out when next year’s games will be played.
The SEC will officially reveal conference game dates on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The announcements will be made during a two-hour TV special, as hosts Dari Nowkhah, Gene Chizik, Cole Cubelic and Roman Harper break down all the excitement and drama.
How to Watch 2026 SEC Football Schedule Game Dates Reveal
- When: Thursday, Dec. 11
- Time: 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET
- TV: SEC Network
Here’s a look at Tennessee Football’s 2026 SEC opponents:
- Home: Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU and Texas
- Away: Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
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While we wait for the SEC game dates, we do know what the first three weeks of the Vols’ season will look like. Tennessee will play it’s trio of non-conference opponents in the first three weeks, with one marquee road game and two winnable games in Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee will open the season against Furman on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Knoxville, followed by a road trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on the ACC’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Vols will then close out its non-conference stretch with a home game against Kennesaw State on Saturday, Sept. 19.
If you’re wondering where the fourth non-conference game that is traditionally in an SEC schedule is, you won’t find it moving forward. The SEC has moved to a nine-game conference slate, beginning in 2026, that shakes up the landscape of the scheduling timeline. Each team from the SEC has been given three annual rivals that will be faced every year. Tennessee, for instance, has annual rivals of Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. Each team’s conference schedule will then have six more in-house opponents.
The new scheduling format means that each SEC team will see every team from the conference once in a two-year stretch, and will play at every opposing SEC school once in a four-year stretch.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s next four seasons of SEC scheduling:
2026 SEC Opponents
Home (5): Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Texas
Away (4): Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
2027 SEC Opponents
Home (4): Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Away (5): Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma
2028 SEC Opponents
Home (5): Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Texas A&M
Away (4): Auburn, LSU, Texas, Vanderbilt
2029 SEC Opponents
Home (4): Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt
Away (5): Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider on Thursday night for a full look at Tennessee Football’s 2026 schedule game dates, with matchups against Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.
