TENNESSEE
Sept. 3 APPALACHIAN STATESept. 10 Virginia Tech (Bristol)Sept. 17 OHIOSept. 24 FLORIDAOct. 1 at GeorgiaOct. 8 at Texas A&MOct. 15 ALABAMAOct. 22 open dateOct. 29 at South CarolinaNov. 5 TENNESSEE TECHNov. 12 KENTUCKYNov. 19 MISSOURINov. 26 at Vanderbilt
ALABAMA
Sept. 3 Southern Cal (Arlington)Sept. 10 WESTERN KENTUCKYSept. 17 at Ole MissSept. 24 KENT STATEOct. 1 KENTUCKYOct. 8 at ArkansasOct. 15 at TennesseeOct. 22 TEXAS A&MOct. 29 open dateNov. 5 at LSUNov. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATENov. 19 UT-CHATTANOOGANov. 26 AUBURN
GEORGIA
Sept. 3 North Carolina (Atlanta)Sept. 10 NICHOLLS STATESept. 17 at MissouriSept. 24 at Ole MissOct. 1 TENNESSEEOct. 8 at South CarolinaOct. 15 VANDERBILTOct. 22 open dateOct. 29 Florida (Jacksonville)Nov. 5 at KentuckyNov. 12 AUBURNNov. 19 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTENov. 26 GEORGIA TECH
The 2016 Southeastern Conference football season will open with Vanderbilt hosting South Carolina on a Thursday night and will include the 25th playing of the league championship game.
SEC officials announced the 2016 schedule Thursday night. Next season will be the first in which each league team is required to play at least one game against a foe from another “Power Five” conference, meaning the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12.
Most of those matchups will take place Labor Day weekend.
On Saturday, Sept. 3, Alabama will face Southern California in Arlington, Texas, LSU will challenge Wisconsin at Green Bay’s famed Lambeau Field and Georgia will face North Carolina in the last Chick-fil-A Classic inside the Georgia Dome. Other matchups that day include Clemson at Auburn and UCLA at Texas A&M.
Ole Miss will face Florida State in Orlando on Sept. 5, which is Labor Day night.
The 2016 season will start Sept. 1, when South Carolina faces the Commodores in Nashville. That will mark the 10th time in 12 years the Gamecocks will have opened the season on a Thursday.
Tennessee will have nine games within its state next season, including the anticipated Sept. 10 matchup against Virginia Tech at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The Volunteers face Vanderbilt in Nashville, so their only out-of-state games will be against Georgia, Texas A&M and South Carolina.
Unfortunately for the Vols, their four toughest potential games occur in a four-week stretch: Florida (Sept. 24), Georgia (Oct. 1), Texas A&M (Oct. 8) and Alabama (Oct. 15).
Georgia, meanwhile, will play at Sanford Stadium just three times before mid-November. The Bulldogs have neutral-site contests against UNC and Florida next year but do play their final three games “Between the Hedges” against Auburn, Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs and Gators will have their lone open dates before their encounter in Jacksonville, as will Alabama and LSU before their annual clash in early November.
Three teams – Missouri, Georgia and Arkansas – will have open dates next season before facing Florida. This season, three teams – Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU – have had open dates before facing Alabama.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.