KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will host five Southeastern Conference games — Texas, Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and LSU — as the 2026 football schedule dates were unveiled Thursday night on SEC Network.
The SEC announced in August it would play a nine-game conference schedule starting with the 2026 season. In the new format, each SEC school will play every other SEC school at least once every two years, and every opponent home and away over four years.
Tennessee will play five games against opponents who finished in the final Top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Volunteers’ first three games are non-conference contests beginning with the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5 followed by a Sept. 12 date at Georgia Tech. Tennessee will play at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first time since Oct. 25, 1986.
The Vols then return to Knoxville for an outstanding three-game home stretch. After hosting Kennesaw State on Sept. 19, Tennessee battles Texas in its SEC opener on Sept. 26 followed by an Oct. 3 tilt against Auburn in Neyland Stadium.
The Vols and Longhorns will meet in the regular season for the first time ever. All three previous meetings occurred in Cotton Bowls – 1951, 1953 and 1969. Auburn comes to Knoxville for the first time since Nov. 9, 2013.
For the third time in seven years, Tennessee travels to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas on Oct. 10. The annual Third Saturday in October tradition continues on Oct. 17 when Alabama visits Neyland Stadium. It will be the first time Alabama and Auburn play in Knoxville in the same season since 2004.
The October slate concludes at South Carolina on Oct. 24 prior to a Halloween open date.
The Vols host Kentucky on Nov. 7 and then make the trek to Bryan-College Station to take on Texas A&M on Nov. 14. It will be just the second meeting between the two in Kyle Field and first since 2016.
Tennessee welcomes LSU for Senior Day on Nov. 21 in what will be just the second matchup between the two in Neyland Stadium in the past decade. The last time the two played each other in Knoxville was Nov. 18, 2017.
The Vols close the regular season with Vanderbilt for the 67th time. The two meet in Nashville on Nov. 28.
Listen to every Tennessee game from Radio Greeneville; 103.1FM WIKQ and 99.5FM WGRV.
Fans can renew their 2026 season tickets at AllVols.com. Fans interested in joining the 2026 season ticket waiting list can fill out the season ticket interest form at UTsports.com/seasontickets.
The Volunteers carry a streak of 27 consecutive home sellouts into the 2026 campaign. In 2025, Tennessee drew a combined 713,405 fans in Neyland Stadium for the second straight year, which ranked fourth in the FBS and second in the SEC. UT’s average attendance of 101,915 was sixth in the nation and third in the conference.
2026 Tennessee Football Schedule
Date, Opponent, Location
Sept. 5, FURMAN, KNOXVILLE
Sept. 12, at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga.
Sept. 19, KENNESAW STATE, KNOXVILLE
Sept. 26, TEXAS*, KNOXVILLE
Oct. 3, AUBURN*, KNOXVILLE
Oct. 10, at Arkansas*, Fayetteville, Ark.
Oct. 17, ALABAMA*, KNOXVILLE
Oct. 24, at South Carolina*, Columbia, S.C.
Nov. 7, KENTUCKY*, LEXINGTON
Nov. 14, at Texas A&M*, Bryan-College Station
Nov. 21, LSU*, KNOXVILLE
Nov. 28, at Vanderbilt*, Nashville, Tenn.
* – denotes SEC game
Oct. 31 – open date
