KNOXVILLE - Tennessee will ring in a new football season against an old rival in 2017.
The Volunteers will continue a trend of neutral-site nonconference matchups when they face Georgia Tech, a former longtime Southeastern Conference member, at the Atlanta Falcons' new stadium on Labor Day Monday night.
The game has been mentioned publicly as a possibility for nearly a year, but the two sides finally agreed to do it and announced it Monday morning.
The Vols and Yellow Jackets, who have faced each other 43 times but not since 1987, will play the second leg of an opening weekend Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game doubleheader on Sept. 4 in a prime-time slot on ESPN. Alabama and Florida State are set to meet Saturday.
"With Georgia Tech and Tennessee, you're talking about two powerhouse programs that we expect to be ranked in the Top 25 coming in to the game," Peach Bowl president and CEO Gary Stokan said in a release. "We're looking at a sure sellout and a lot of anticipation for a matchup like this."
Tennessee defensive backs Cameron Sutton, left, and defensive end Derek Barnett celebrate stopping Utah State on 3rd down during the Vols' season-opener football game against the Aggies on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.The contract for the game was not released Monday, but the average per-game payout for each team playing the Chick-fil-A Kickoff series is $4.3 million.
Most of the tickets for the game in the 71,000-seat state-of-the-art stadium will be split evenly between the two schools. All tickets will be sold through their ticket offices.
The Vols played in a similar season-opening doubleheader in Atlanta in 2012, when they beat North Carolina State 35-21 on a Friday night and Clemson edged Auburn 26-19 a night later in a matchup of ranked teams.
"It will be a great opportunity for our program to play in a new state-of-the-art facility while playing on a national stage," Vols coach Butch Jones said in Tennessee's release. "The state of Georgia is very important to us in our recruiting footprint, and that coupled with our alumni base and passionate fans will make for a very exciting experience."
Tennessee and Georgia Tech played each other annually over a nine-year stretch in the 1980s, but the series has been dormant since the Vols won 29-15 in Knoxville in 1987.
The Vols own a 24-17-2 record against the Yellow Jackets, who went 11-3 last season with an overtime win at Georgia and an Orange Bowl dismantling of Missisippi State included.
"Playing an SEC team like Tennessee in the nonconference is important for us, and we're grateful for the opportunity to play them in our backyard," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, who has averaged eight-plus wins per season in his seven-year tenure in Atlanta.
The Vols are playing neutral-site games in each of the next four seasons.
Tennessee opens the 2015 season against Bowling Green at the newly renamed Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Sept. 5 and will play Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016. The Vols will play West Virginia in Charlotte to open 2018.
Television and the chance at premier matchups are part of the draw for such games, but Tennessee has another reason to schedule games like the 2017 opener.
Tickets sold to football games at Neyland Stadium and men's and women's basketball games at Thompson-Boling Arena are subject to a 4.5-percent amusement tax from the city of Knoxville. Knox County repealed its 0.5 percent portion of the amusement tax in August. Concerts and other events at those facilities aren't taxed.
The result from the amusement tax, which is levied on top of state and local sales tax of 9.25 percent, is an annual $1.6 million price tag for the Tennessee athletic department, which is trying to get the tax repealed since it is the only college program dealing with such extra costs.
"The chance to play in that venue, in prime time, presents a great opportunity for our players and fans alike," Vols athletic director Dave Hart said in the program's release.
Tennessee's other nonconference games for 2017 are at home against Southern Mississippi, Indiana State and Massachusetts.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.