It's football time in Tennessee.
Josh Heupel begins his fifth season on Rocky Top this Saturday when he takes the Vols down to Georgia to play Syracuse in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — the home of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) calling the game on ABC.
Tennessee has faced an ACC team in each of Heupel's five seasons on Rocky Top. It played a home-and-home with Pittsburgh in 2021 and 2022, began the 2023 season against Virginia in Nashville, and played NC State in Charlotte last year. Heupel has guided UT to a 4-1 record against the ACC.
The Vols are ranked No. 18 in the preseason Coaches Poll, No. 24 in the AP Top 25, and was picked to finish ninth in the 16-team SEC. Syracuse was projected to finish 12th in the ACC after finishing tied for fourth last season. Both teams went 10-3 last year.
Tennessee and Syracuse are meeting for the first time since the Vols won 33-9 in the 2001 season opener. UT has won the three all-time matchups between the two programs.
This is Tennessee's third appearance in Atlanta's Kickoff Game. UT beat NC State, 35-21, on Aug. 31, 2012, and then won a Monday night double-overtime thriller, 42-41, against Georgia Tech on Sept. 4, 2017.
Tennessee is 96-26-6 all-time in season openers. Heupel is 7-0 in his first game of the season as a head coach, outscoring opponents 382-70. He's 4-0 with the Vols, outscoring opponents 215-32.
GoVols247's Ben McKee, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan preview Tennessee's season opener against Syracuse on the latest GoVols247 Podcast. You can listen to their conversation below or wherever you find your podcasts.
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