Tennessee to open 2023 season against Virginia in Nashville

Change of plans — Tennessee will now open the 2023 season with a sport in opposition to Virginia in Nashville at Nissan Stadium. The sport will exchange a highway matchup at BYU, which ought to have been the opposite finish of a house and residential with the Cougars.

Tennessee final opened the season in Nashville again in 2015 in opposition to Bowling Inexperienced. In addition they opened the 2002 season with a win in opposition to Wyoming at Nissan Stadium.

Virginia and Tennessee haven’t performed because the 1991 Sugar Bowl.

“Pivoting to play a marquee non-conference opponent in Nashville made sense for a number of causes,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White stated. “This can be a extra accessible sport for our fanbase. I count on that we are going to have a a lot bigger contingent of followers in Nashville than would have been in a position to journey to Utah. Our followers even have heard me speak concerning the significance of discovering new income to develop our working price range, and taking part in Virginia at Nissan Stadium is a chance for a net-positive income sport. I admire Virginia AD Carla Williams and the Nashville Sports activities Council for working with us to make this engaging matchup occur.”

Tennessee will function the house group for the matchup.

Beginning in 2023, BYU can be a member of the Large 12. They already had two SEC non-conference matchups scheduled earlier than Large 12 play started, so the transfer is sensible for them as properly. Per Volquest, a portion of the ticket gross sales will go to BYU as Tennessee “buys” its manner out of the sport. They’ll add an analogous kind of opponent in Virginia, which can be coming into 12 months one beneath Tony Elliott this season.

Austin Peay, UConn and UTSA spherical out the 2023 non-conference slate for the Volunteers.