Tennessee will open its 2023 season against Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in just over a month.
For the Vols, early-season clashes with ACC opponents has become a trend. The Cavaliers are the fourth team from the conference that shares real estate in the SEC footprint in the last seven years with future match ups on the way.
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Tennessee is a commanding 38-16-1 vs. ACC teams all time, including a 5-5 mark in bowl games. Here is a closer look at how the Vols have performed against the league.
LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee wrapped up a home-and-home series with Pittsburgh last season.
The games—dubbed the Johnny Majors Classic—began at Neyland Stadium in the second week of the 2021 season and saw the emergence of Hendon Hooker as the Vols' quarterback.
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Tennessee missed on some early opportunities and squandered a lead in a 41-34 loss before finishing Josh Heupel's first season as head coach 7-6. The Panthers went on to win the ACC and play in the Peach Bowl.
The Vols returned the favor a year later at Heinz Field.
Tennessee entered the game 1-0 and ranked No. 24 in the AP poll while Pittsburgh was ranked No. 17. The Panthers outscored the Vols in the fourth quarter, scoring a game-tying touchdown with 2:23 left in regulation to force overtime.
Hooker lobbed a pass to Cedric Tillman for the go-ahead score and Trevon Flowers clinched the win with a sack on Pittsburgh's last position to escape with a 34-27 win.
Tennessee won 10 regular season games, earning an Orange Bowl berth vs. ACC champion Clemson and marking the Vols' second game against a team from the conference in the same season.
It was a familiar result, though the Vols had a little less trouble getting there. A banner night for the defense and a stellar performance from quarterback Joe Milton III paved the way for a 31-14 win that capped an impressive 11-2 campaign.
NEUTRAL SITE GAMES
Virginia will be the fourth ACC team that Tennessee has played off campus in the last 12 years.
The Vols played NC State in their 2012 opener in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome under then-second-year head coach Derek Dooley and provided some brief optimism ahead of an otherwise forgettable season that ended in a coaching change.
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Tyler Bray tossed for 333 yards and two touchdowns while Cordarrelle Patterson had six receptions for 93 yards and two scores in a 35-21 win.
In front of what was the largest crowd to ever see a college football game, Tennessee played Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016.
The Vols fell behind two scores early but recovered, scoring 31 unanswered, including 24 points in the second quarter to run away with a convincing 45-24 win.
Tennessee returned to Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-a Kickoff Game on Labor Day night in 2017 at the newly opened Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face Georgia Tech.
The Vols maintained its rivalry with the Yellow Jackets on a near annual basis after Georgia Tech bolted from the SEC in 1964 and subsequently joined the ACC in 1978.
The 2017 clash was the first in 30 years and a memorable one.
Tennessee trailed by multiple scores twice in the second half but managed to force a critical turnover late that later led to the game-tying score that led to overtime. The Vols took the lead, then the defense stopped what would have been a game-winning 2-point conversion at the goal line to escape, 42-41.
FUTURE MATCH UPS
Tennessee has won four of its last five regular season games against ACC opponents and will have the opportunity to extend that streak beyond the 2023 season if it can beat Virginia.
Though conference realignment puts future schedules in flux, the Vols are currently scheduled to play two more ACC teams in 2024 and 2025, both at neutral sites.
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Tennessee will play NC State in the Duke's Mayo Kickoff Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the second week of the 2024 season.
The Vols are slated to play Syracuse in Atlanta in 2025, marking the first meeting between the two program since 2001 and the first since the Orange gained ACC membership in 2013.
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