Tennessee, Washington announce future home-and-home series

The Tennessee Volunteers and the Washington Huskies have agreed to a home-and-home series, the two schools announced on Wednesday. Both famous for having bodies of water around their stadiums, they have dubbed it “Waterfront football.”

Tennessee will host the first matchup on Sept. 1, 2029, the first week of the regular season, at Neyland Stadium. Washington will get the return date on Sept. 8, 2030. Just over eight years away, make sure to mark your calendars.

The Volunteers and Huskies’ athletic directors put out statements at the time of the announcement. Both are excited a deal could be struck and are excited for the two programs to meet on the gridiron.

“We are thrilled about scheduling a high-caliber Pac-12 program like Washington,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said in a statement. “These schools offer fans the chance to experience two very unique venues on the water in great cities. We appreciate Jennifer Cohen and the University of Washington administration in collaborating with us on this endeavor.” 

“This home-and-home has been in the works for several months and it’s exciting to get it to the finish line so we can share with both fan bases,” said Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen. “Anytime two storied programs with unique gameday traditions can come together to agree to play in a series like this is a huge opportunity for the student-athletes that will be competing and the communities as a whole. A big thanks to Danny White and his team at Tennessee for the collaboration to make this happen.”

Tennessee had its first football season in 1981, while Washington was in 1889. Both being over 100 years old, the two have never met each other. Sept. 1, 2029, in Knoxville will be the first.

Additionally, both are in the beginning stages under new head coaches.

Washington let go of Jimmy Lake and hired Klaen DeBoer away from Fresno State. He will be looking to turn around a program that has been in the College Football Playoff as recently as the 2016 season but has fallen on hard times.

For Tennessee, Josh Heupel has made progress after the Volunteers moved on from Jeremey Pruitt. He will be entering Year Two and looking to compete in the SEC East.

With the first matchup of the home-and-home series eight years away, both coaches will have to find some success if they are going to be the ones on the sideline.