Tennessee's Josh Dobbs, left, pushes into Georgia safety Johnathan Abram during the quarterback's outstanding performance in the Vols' 38-31 win on Oct. 10. Dobbs will lead the Vols against Alabama this Saturday.KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee released its 2016 football schedule on Thursday night.
The Volunteers only leave the state three times and won't have to venture outside of Tennessee in September and November, but a four-week stretch looks pretty daunting.
Tennessee will host Florida, go to Georgia and Texas A&M and host Alabama in consecutive weeks before the season's only open date.
The showcase game against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway comes after the season opener against Appalachian State.
Here's a look at Tennessee's 2016 schedule:
SEPT. 3: Appalachian State
The two campuses are less than 160 miles apart, but Tennessee has never played Appalachian State, located in Boone, N.C., before. The Mountaineers will be in their third season as a full FBS member. ASU played at Clemson this season, at Michigan in 2014 and at Georgia in 2013.
SEPT. 10: vs. Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway
The much-anticipated game that was announced two years ago. The Vols and Hokies have played eight times, but this will be the programs' first meeting since the Chick-fil-A Bowl in 2009. The game will be played on the infield of the half-mile track that will host its annual NASCAR race three weeks earlier.
SEPT. 17: Ohio
The Vols and Bobcats met one previous time in 2009, when Tennessee won 34-23.
SEPT. 24: Florida
Will the streak reach 12?
OCT. 1: at Georgia
The last five games in the border rivalry have been decided by a total of 28 points.
OCT. 8: at Texas A&M
This will be the first game against the Aggies since A&M joined the SEC in 2012. The previous two meetings were both in bowl games. Tennessee whipped Texas A&M 38-7 in the 2004 Cotton Bowl and edged a 3-0 win in the 1957 Gator Bowl.
OCT. 15: Alabama
The Crimson Tide will try to extend their winning streak in the series to a decade.
OCT. 29: at South Carolina
Butch Jones can make it three wins in three games against the Gamecocks next week.
NOV. 5: Tennessee Tech
The Vols will play the Golden Eagles for the first time since 1951 as Tennessee's streak of facing an FCS opponent reaches its seventh year.
NOV. 12: Kentucky
The Vols play the Wildcats in Lexington on Saturday night. Kentucky hasn't won in Knoxville since 1984.
NOV. 19: Missouri
Tennessee lost its first three meetings with the Tigers after Missouri jumped to the league from the Big 12, and the Vols will have a chance to break that mini-streak in Columbia next month.
NOV. 26: at Vanderbilt
The Vols clinched the program's first bowl game in four years with a 24-17 win in Nashville to end last season.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.