Starting in 2026, the SEC will go to a nine-game schedule with still no divisions. All 16 teams will play three permanent opponents on an annual basis and then the other 12 twice in a four-year span, once at home and once on the road. Who will be the permanent rivals of Tennessee football, though? Here’s a ranking of every team’s possibility.
1. Vanderbilt
There’s no doubt on this one. This is an in-state rivalry, and the SEC is going to protect all of those. Tennessee football has played the Commodores 119 times, the fourth most played rivalry among SEC charter members and tied for fifth longest ever. They literally put Vandy in the SEC East during the split in 1992 to protect this series.
2. Alabama
Vandy was put in the East in 1992 so the Vols’ two premiere rivals wouldn’t both be in the opposite division. They are going to play the Crimson Tide every year as well. Despite the Nick Saban years, the Third Saturday in October is steeped in too much history and won’t be going anywhere, so it’s a safe bet this rivalry stays.
3. Florida
This could scream Gen-X and millennial bias, but there was once a time in which this rivalry stopped the college football world like no other. Tennessee football has finally started to even things out with the Gators after a horrendous 17-year stretch in which the Vols won just one time. It’s hard to see the SEC turning away from that.
4. Kentucky
On paper, this should be above Florida. Tennessee and Kentucky is the third-most played SEC rivalry of all time, even above Vanderbilt, and tied for fourth all time. However, the SEC won’t give the Vols the Wildcats and Commodores as permanent opponents. That’s too easy, and if one has to go, it has to be Kentucky, which is why Florida is third.
5. South Carolina
There’s a default factor here if UT can’t draw Florida, and that’s the fact that the Gamecocks have to play somebody outside of Georgia. The Bulldogs are their only real rival in the league, and UT is the second-closest school to Columbia, so they could definitely be a candidate to face them in the end.
6. Ole Miss
Don’t forget tha the Vols and Rebels had a longstanding rivalry before divisional play began in 1992. That’s what made it such a big deal with Peyton Manning committed to the program in 1994. It would be interesting for the SEC to rekindle this rivalry, and Ole Miss really has just Mississippi State, LSU and maybe Vanderbilt otherwise.
7. Mississippi State
Just like the Rebs, the Bulldogs were an annual foe of Tennessee football for many years. They actually have even fewer longtime rivalries than UT, but they obviously have to play Ole Miss, and they actually are Alabama’s second-most played foe. Add in a longtime rivalry with LSU, and this one would be tougher. Oh, and getting Vandy and MSU is too easy for the Vols.
8. Auburn
Another longtime rivalry, this one occurred at the same time as Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but it was a much bigger deal, as it usually had SEC Championship implications. However, the Tigers already have to play Alabama and Georgia, so the SEC would probably be too unfair to give them the Vols as well.
9. Texas
Given the fight over the real UT, who has the better orange and the history of the state of Tennessee sending so many soldiers to help Texas during the Mexican-American war, there’s a clear history here. Honestly, the SEC shouldn’t overlook the possibility of this happening. These two could absolutely play every year.
10. Oklahoma
A short-sighted SEC, which is already led by a short-sighted commissioner, would go all in on this series being permanent because of the Josh Heupel connection. Who cares if he’s not going to be there forever? Having him for justa short while could explode this potential rivalry. That alone puts it in play.
11. Arkansas
Remember, Tennessee football did play the Hogs every year from 1992 to 2002 as a permanent SEC interdivisional opponent. That history involved the Clint Stoerner fumble in 1998 and the Razorbacks’ revenge in 1999. If the SEC has to start reaching, don’t overlook this becoming a rivalry.
12. Missouri
Just like Arkansas, the Vols are technically in a bordering state with the Tigers, despite being extremely far away. There did seem to be an SEC East rivalry with Mizzou brewing when they joined the league in 2012. That seems to have subsided, but it could be a reason for these two to play annually.
13. Georgia
On paper, UGA should be higher. These Dawgs have been the Vols’ third biggest rivalry for two decades now, However, Georgia already has its three obvious rivals, and none of them can go. They are the only natural and historic rival for South Carolina, their rivalry with Florida is the most intense in the league, and their series with Auburn is the oldest in the SEC. That puts this series out of the picture.
14. LSU
Not happening. Despite the two being charter members and having a history, there’s no reason for Tennessee football to face the Tigers. About the only thing they share in common is neither team has a mutual arch-rival in the league, but that doesn’t mean they should start playing each other. That would never make sense.
15. Texas A&M
Again, not happening, and there’s less history with the Aggies than LSU. Texas A&M has deep history with Texas, OU and Arkansas along with a brewing rivalry with LSU. There’s no way Tennessee football would be added to this list, so you can guarantee that these two won’t face each other annually.
