The Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Cavaliers will open the 2023 season in Nashville, both schools announced on Monday.
Tennessee and Virginia will square off at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023. The game will mark the fifth time that the Volunteers and the Cavaliers have met on the gridiron.
Tennessee and Virginia first met on the gridiron in Knoxville, Tenn., in 1927. In their most recent matchup in the 1991 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La., the Volunteers defeated the Cavaliers 23-22 to extend their lead in the overall series to 3-1.
The Volunteers were previously scheduled to open the 2023 season on the road against the BYU Cougars, which was the second game of a home-and-home series. Per a copy of the Virginia contract obtained by Outkick, the first $2 million in ticket sales for the Tennessee-Virginia game will be paid to BYU as a buyout.
“Pivoting to play a marquee non-conference opponent in Nashville made sense for multiple reasons,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “This is a more accessible game for our fanbase. I expect that we will have a much larger contingent of fans in Nashville than would have been able to travel to Utah. Our fans also have heard me talk about the importance of finding new revenue to grow our operating budget, and playing Virginia at Nissan Stadium is an opportunity for a net-positive revenue game. I appreciate Virginia AD Carla Williams and the Nashville Sports Council for working with us to make this attractive matchup happen.”
Tennessee has opened a season twice previously at Nissan Stadium. The Volunteers beat Bowling Green, 59-30, on Sept. 5, 2015, and crushed Wyoming, 47-7, on Aug. 31, 2002.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Vols and Cavaliers to Nashville on opening weekend of the 2023 college football season,” Nashville Sports Council President and CEO Scott Ramsey said. “Both programs have a place in Nashville Sports history, having both played in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. We look forward to hosting them along with their loyal fanbases and once again showcasing Nashville on a national stage.”
Virginia was previously scheduled to open the 2023 season at home in Charlottesville, Va., against the William & Mary Tribe. A new date for that contest was not announced.
Football Schedules
This doesn’t make any sense. Now, BYU dropped one game for no reason. My guess is they will likely move a one of their games from 2024 to 2023.
Cool.
Safer to play in Nashville than Provo. Works out for both sides- BYU gets a payout, and Tennessee gets to play at home.
What this also exposes is the lack of willingness of BYU to play Utah State in Logan one more time before canceling that contracted series.
Hard to tell. The Utah State game was scheduled to be in Logan in 2023, so BYU may have needed a home game instead. With the unbalanced Big 12 schedule, they could have four conference home games as opposed to five.