KNOXVILLE — A Monday night opener in the new stadium in Atlanta, a November visit from LSU and trips to its two biggest rivals highlight Tennessee’s 2017 football schedule.
The Southeastern Conference released its league schedule for next season on Tuesday night, and the Volunteers’ slate is now finalized.
Here is Tennessee’s 2017 schedule:
Sept. 4 vs. Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta)
Sept. 9 Indiana State
Sept. 16 at Florida
Sept. 23 Massachusetts
Sept. 30 Georgia
Oct. 7 OPEN
Oct. 14 South Carolina
Oct. 21 at Alabama
Oct. 28 at Kentucky
Nov. 4 Southern Mississippi
Nov. 11 at Missouri
Nov. 18 LSU
Nov. 25 Vanderbilt
The Tigers rotate on the schedule as Tennessee’s second opponent from the SEC West. LSU last played Tennessee in 2011 and won 38-7 against the overmatched Vols. Tennessee is 20-9-3 against LSU, but has lost five of the past six clashes.
The Florida game is back in the third week of the season for the first time since 2012.
Kentucky, a November fixture for years, moves back into October two years after the Vols and Wildcats played on Halloween night in 2015.
The lone open date is after five games, meaning the Vols will have to play seven straight weeks to close the season.
Tennessee opens the season against Georgia Tech in the second half of a Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game doubleheader at the Atlanta Falcons’ new stadium. The Vols and Yellow Jackets face off on Monday night, two days after Alabama and Florida State square off there.
The two former SEC rivals will meet for the 44th time.
The Vols have never played UMass or Indiana State of the Football Championship Subdivision, but they’ve played Southern Miss five times, most recently in 2007 and 2000.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.