Tennessee’s 2023 season opening road trip has gotten a lot shorter.

The Vols were scheduled to open the 2023 season away from home in Provo, Utah against BYU. However, Volquest has learned that game has been replaced with a trip to Nashville and a new opponent as the Vols will host Virginia.

The scheduled trip to BYU was to be the completion of a home-and-home series after the Cougars played in Knoxville in 2019, a game they won 29-26 in double overtime in dramatic fashion.

In 2023, BYU is moving into the Big 12 and playing a conference schedule. They also have a trip to Arkansas on the schedule as well which was going to mean two SEC games before opening the inaugural Big 12 season. The Cougars and Razorbacks are set to meet in Fayetteville on September 16, 2023.

The matchup between Vols and Cavaliers will be played in Nissan Stadium and it will be a home game for Tennessee with the SEC having the television rights and it will be officiated by SEC officials. A portion of the ticket sales will go to BYU in order for Tennessee to meet contractual obligations and 'buy' its way out of that game.

It will mark the first time Tennessee has played Virginia since a 23-22 Sugar Bowl win in 1991. The Vols are 3-1 all time against the Cavaliers.

The Vols non-conference opponents in 2023 are now Virginia (Sept. 2), Austin-Peay (Sept. 9), UT-San Antonio (Sept. 23) and Connecticut (Nov. 4), with all four games being played in the state of Tennessee.