Football season may feel far away, but it’s getting closer, as the Tennesse Vols are getting ready for a bounce-back year. When the season finally arrives, Neyland Stadium will once again come alive. With more than 100,000 passionate fans, it turns into one of the toughest environments in college football every season.
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That sets the stage for themed games at Neyland Stadium, and we finally have them. The Tennessee athletic department has announced four signature home games. The Kent State game will be a Salute to Service, Texas will be a checkered Neyland stadium, Auburn will be Champions weekend, and Kentucky will be homecoming.
Tennessee Football will Checker Neyland against Texas on September 26 🍊
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) May 5, 2026
Tennessee Football has released game designations for the 2026 season:
Sept. 19 - Kennesaw State (Salute to Service)
Sept. 26 - Texas (Checker Neyland)
Oct. 3 - Auburn (Champions Weekend)
Nov. 7 - Kentucky… pic.twitter.com/4lVbvOpFfV
Tennessee against Texas will be a checker game at Neyland
The athletic department made a strategic decision selecting this game for a checkerboard night. Tennessee will need maximum home-field advantage against Texas, a preseason No. 1 team in many rankings. Led by Arch Manning, Texas has significantly strengthened its supporting cast around a potential top NFL Draft prospect.
To build on that, Texas added Cam Coleman, one of the top wide receivers in the country, to their roster. The former Auburn standout totaled 708 receiving yards last season on a struggling Auburn Tigers football team. Ty Redmond will need to be at his best in this matchup. Texas also strengthened its backfield with transfers Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. With Will Muschamp helping lead the defense, the Longhorns should once again be strong on that side of the ball. Top to bottom, they are probably the best team in the country, so Neyland will need to be rowdy on September 26.
If there were one other opponent for a checker game, I think it would have to be LSU. That is one Vols fans and Josh Heupel have circled on their calendar. Lane Kiffin has been a menace to Tennessee ever since he left, and it feels like he took half of Tennessee's roster this offseason, all while battling the Vols for quarterback Sam Leavitt.
At the end of the day, Texas is still a great choice for the checkered game and Neyland will once again be rocking like it always is.
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