Syracuse head coach Fran Brown spoke to the media at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte on Wednesday about his team this year and was asked about his thoughts about the season opener against Tennessee.
Brown was asked about how excited his team is to play against the Vols at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
"We're blessed to be able to play in such a prestigious venue against the Blue Blood of college football," Brown said at ACC Media Days. "They've been doing well for years. I've got a cousin that played there, all the way back to Reggie White.
"We're extremely happy to get a chance to go and play against Tennessee. They do a real good job. Our team is excited and thankful, but the main thing is the main thing. We're trying to focus on, like, today. They're back there. They want to focus on the skull session, right? And then they want to focus on the workout they'll have today. So that way we can be ready for that big stage.
"Tennessee is a good program, they have a good team, they play in the playoffs. We get a chance to go out and compete against them. We want to make sure how we're supposed to look when you play against a team of that caliber, because they usually blow everybody out at the beginning of the year and do those things. We're just blessed to have an opportunity to play against them."
Brown was asked about the Tennessee matchup after spending two years with the Georgia Bulldogs as their defensive backs coach, and he took that opportunity to speak highly of Vols' head coach Josh Heupel.
"It's an honor," Brown continued. "I'm thankful. I think Coach Heupel is one of the best coaches in college football. His offense does an amazing job. His defense is rolling. What happened at Georgia don't have anything to do with Syracuse."
The Vols' matchup with Syracuse is an intriguing one for Tennessee. It is a Power Four matchup to open the season, with a new quarterback running the offense and new pieces spread throughout the offense and defense.
Tennessee is expected to take a step back this year, largely due to the loss of Nico Iamaleava at quarterback. Joey Aguilar has the opportunity to step in and take over the offense without missing a beat, but it will be a huge task for the quarterback in his first year in Heupel's system.