Tennessee football: SEC sets time for three Vols games, including first two

COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 01: A detail view of the SEC logo on a field marker during the game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 01: A detail view of the SEC logo on a field marker during the game between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

Here are the times and TV channels for multiple Tennessee football Volunteers 2020 games.

Buckle up for an epic evening on Sept. 26. Tennessee football will be in Columbia at night to opening its season, facing the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network.

That was one of the game times and TV stations revealed by the SEC in a release Monday afternoon for its revised 10-game conference-only schedule that all 14 teams are taking part in this year. This release revealed games set to be on the ESPN/SEC Network channels for the first two weekends of the season and a couple of more throughout the year.

After South Carolina, Tennessee football will face the Missouri Tigers at noon in its home opener on SEC Network Saturday, Oct. 3. The Vols will also play the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 7 either on ESPN, or the SEC Network.

In addition to the SEC releasing this slate, CBS Sports released six primetime conference games, plus the Dec. 19 SEC Championship game, that are already on the schedule. None of these games involve the Vols.

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Looking at all of this, UT will have five chances to be in a primetime CBS slot. It could happen when they visit the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 10, when they host the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 24, when they visit the Auburn Tigers on Nov. 21, when they visit the Vanderbilt Commodores on Nov. 28 or when they host the Florida Gators on Dec. 5.

For now, though, the story is the season-opener. Jeremy Pruitt and Will Muschamp appear to be leading programs at crossroads, with Muschamp’s Gamecocks sliding downhill and Pruitt’s Vols trending uphill. This game could determine whether that trend continues or shifts in the opposite direction. Both are competing to finish third in the league.

As a result, the SEC Network struck gold by securing Tennessee football’s opener. This is uniquely an SEC story with two coaches who are former defensive coordinators for Nick Saban and have cut their teeth in the SEC.