The Tennessee State Tigers have added four games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents to their future football schedules, per a report from The Tennessean on Monday.
According to the report, Tennessee State will travel to play the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on an early date during the 2026 season. Tennessee State would add to a Georgia non-conference schedule that already includes Western Kentucky (Sept. 12) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 28) at home Louisville on the road (Sept. 19).
This late addition could signify that the SEC will continue to play an eight-game league schedule in 2026, or Georgia could be dropping WKU or Louisville on a nine-game slate. Either way, the decision on an eight vs. nine game SEC slate is expected soon.
“We will continue to evaluate increasing the number of SEC games from eight to nine,” Sankey said at SEC Media Days last week. “As I have said repeatedly, understanding how the CFP will evaluate ‘strength of schedule’ and ‘strength of record’ is a critically important part of our football schedule decision making.”
Tennessee State will also reportedly play at the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2027. However, Tennessee State athletic director is lobbying for the game to be played at the new Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
“We’ve been working on the Tennessee game for a while,” Allen told The Tennessean. “It’s going to be a special game. We’re still working with their administration to figure out where to play. Because we’re here by the state capital and would love to play that game in the inaugural year at the new Nissan Stadium.”
Other opponents reportedly added for the Tennessee State Tigers include the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in 2028 and the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2029.
An FBSchedules.com correspondent submitted a public records request last week to Tennessee State University for future football game contracts. That request remains pending. We will follow up with any new or confirmed information from that request as it becomes available.
UPDATE (July 27, 2025)
Per the aforementioned public records request, we learned that the only contracted game to date is against Middle Tennessee. The game is slated for Sept. 1, 2029 and the Tigers will receive a $350,000 guarantee.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
I would rather have Tennessee State than Western Kentucky plus I want Tennessee State when SEC goes to three OOC nine game conference schedule.
Wuss! You’d rather have an FCS team than an FBS team? Just keep racking up the automatic wins. Pathetic!
Does not bother me you call me a Wuss however you have yourself a safe & happy day Klutchpike.
Compromise:
Play 9 games and 1 P4 non con or 8 and 2 P4 non cons – give the P4 that option. Expand reg season to 13.
I have interest of CFB expanding to one extra game as long they have more conference games which is heart & soul of CFB.