Tennessee's three permanent opponents were leaked ahead of the upcoming SEC schedule release on Tuesday. The Vols' permanent opponents consist of three longstanding rivalries and tough matchups for the Vols moving forward.
The new SEC schedule will consist of nine games, changing from the eight-game format teams have been participating in over the past two years. This is a new change resulting in Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference.
When the SEC welcomed Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC, they had to adjust with necessary schedule changes to create a "fair and balanced" schedule for teams across the now 16-team region.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said during the schedule change, where divisions were axed, that the SEC will continue to keep traditional rivalries while also offering new matchups for fanbases throughout the SEC.
"During this time of change, our fans will continue to enjoy traditional rivalries and begin to see new matchups presented by the addition of two historically successful football programs to the SEC," Sankey said about the new schedule format in 2024.
While we will learn who the Vols' nine opponents will be on Tuesday night, we can already start to get an idea of what Tennessee's schedule could look like over the next four years.