Tennessee football's SEC opener against Texas is shaping up to be a prime matchup for ESPN's "College GameDay" to land in Knoxville.
The No. 14 Vols (2-0) host No. 1 Texas (2-0) at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 26 at noon ET, and it was announced Sept. 14 that the matchup would be on ABC. The game will mark the first time in 58 years the two teams have played each other.
If ESPN's flagship college football show comes to Knoxville, it'll be the fourth time the Vols have hosted it during coach Josh Heupel's tenure and the show's 13th overall visit UT.
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Possible matchups for 'College GameDay' in Week 4
The Tennessee-Texas matchup isn't the only strong option for "College GameDay" in Week 4.
There are a handful of ranked matchups with conference play in full
swing that Saturday. No. 2 Georgia hosts No. 21 Oklahoma, No. 11 USC hosts No. 18 Oregon and No. 19 Michigan hosts No. 20 Iowa.
No. 8 Texas A&M at No. 7 LSU tops off the loaded slate at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, but that's an unlikely pick for the show, which already visited Baton Rouge in Week 1 and is set to go to Oxford in Week 3 to hype Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss as LSU coach.
Will 'College GameDay' feature Texas again so soon?
The show had no problem featuring LSU twice within the first three weeks of the season, so it wouldn't be shocking if Texas was part of the featured matchup only two weeks after hosting "College GameDay" in Austin.
However, the Longhorns took the No. 1 ranking from Ohio State after beating the Buckeyes 24-23 on Sept. 5, and the matchup is in Knoxville, so it's certainly one of the top candidates to host the show. The game is also on ABC and with the noon kickoff, the show would run right up to kickoff.
Plus, typically the home team gets a bigger focus in the show. So the emphasis shouldn't be on the Longhorns, anyways.
Why Tennessee-Texas is ideal choice for 'College GameDay'
With Tennessee facing Kennesaw State and the Longhorns playing UTSA on Sept. 19, both teams should remain undefeated going into their first SEC game of the season. It should be at least a top-15 matchup, and it'll be the first big test of the season for the Vols.
The matchup is also the first time Tennessee and Texas will face each other as SEC foes, the first time they'll play in Knoxville and the first time the two teams have played since 1968. With the game already sold out, the game day atmosphere won't disappoint.
Tennessee has no shortage of storylines this season, either, namely with true freshman Faizon Brandon starting at quarterback. Senior linebacker Arion Carter also made headlines to start the season with his one-game suspension from the NCAA, which he turned into fundraiser for cancer research.
A Manning family affair
We can't forget the Manning of it all. Tennessee football great Peyton Manning's nephew, Arch Manning, is the starting quarterback for the Longhorns.
The family ties between the two schools has been a topic of conversation since the SEC released the 2026 schedule. Peyton Manning, who starred for the Vols from 1994 to 1997, has already said at the Manning Passing Academy in June where his allegiances will lie.
" I love my university, my alma mater. Pull for them unconditionally," Peyton Manning said. "But nothing's more important than my family, and when you have a nephew playing, I pull very hard for him every single Saturday. So that's pretty much a no-brainer, pulling for your nephew to play well. But like I said everybody knows pretty strongly where my loyalties lie on all other Saturdays. The University of Tennessee."
Where will 'College GameDay' set be for noon kickoff?
Typically when "College GameDay" comes to Knoxville, the show broadcasts from Ayres Hall, and the hill is always packed.
But when the show features a noon kickoff, they typically finish the show inside the stadium for the last hour. It happened last year with Texas Tech and for LSU vs. South Carolina in 2024. It's unclear if the show will still air the first two hours from Ayres Hall or not, but the last hour should be broadcast from inside Neyland Stadium.
When was the last time 'College GameDay' came to Knoxville?
Tennessee hosted ESPN's flagship college football show last season for the first time since 2022, when it came to UT's campus twice.
"College GameDay" traveled to Knoxville for the Vols' top-20 matchup with Georgia on Sept. 13, 2025, and Lady Vols legend Candace Parker was the guest picker. Tennessee lost to Georgia 44-41 in overtime.
Why did 'College GameDay' visit Tennessee twice in 2022?
Tennessee broke the six-year drought without "College GameDay" on campus with an electric offense led by former quarterback Hendon Hooker during Heupel's second season.
The sold-out matchup against Florida was enough to draw the attention of "College GameDay" – the rivalry between the SEC foes has been featured on the show six of the 12 times it has aired in Knoxville.
The show returned two weeks later for the "Third Saturday in October" with both the Vols and Alabama undefeated going into the rivalry matchup. Tennessee snapped its 15-game losing streak in the rivalry with a 52-49 win in a thriller which ended with a field storming and torn down goalposts.
How the Vols have fared with 'College GameDay' in Knoxville
Tennessee has a 4-6 record in SEC home games with "College GameDay" in Knoxville. The Vols had won three straight before losing in overtime last season.
- Sept. 9, 1995: Tennessee 30 Georgia 27
- Sept. 21, 1996: Florida 35 Tennessee 29
- Nov. 6, 1999: Tennessee 38 Notre Dame 14
- Sept. 16, 2000: Florida 27 Tennessee 23
- Sept. 21, 2002: Florida 30 Tennessee 13
- Nov. 9, 2002: Miami 26 Tennessee 3
- Oct. 2, 2004: Auburn 34 Tennessee 10
- Sept. 15, 2012: Florida 37 Tennessee 20
- Sept. 24, 2016: Tennessee 38 Florida 28
- Sept. 24, 2022: Tennessee 38 Florida 33
- Oct. 15, 2022: Tennessee 52, Alabama 49
- Sept. 13, 2025: Georgia 44, Tennessee 41 OT
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What we're hearing about ESPN's 'College GameDay' at Tennessee football vs Texas
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