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Report: Kickoff time, TV set for Tennessee's season-opener vs. Syracuse in Atlanta

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey05/13/25GrantRamey
Tennessee Football vs. Syracuse | Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Football vs. Syracuse | Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Football’s season-opener against Syracuse in Atlanta on August 30 will be a Noon Eastern Time start and will be aired on ABC, according to a report from The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. It will be part of a tripleheader that also includes Alabama at Florida State at 3:30 p.m. ET and LSU at Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Tennessee and Syracuse will play at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, as part of the Aflac Kickoff Game. Virginia Tech and South Carolina will play on Sunday in Atlanta, which according to McMurphy’s report will be a 3 p.m. ET start on ESPN.

The Vols are 3-0 against Syracuse, winning 18-12 in the 1966 Gator Bowl, 34-33 at Syracuse in September 1998 and 33-9 at Neyland Stadium in September 2001.

Josh Heupel and Tennessee players will be in Atlanta in July to unofficially start the new season at SEC Football Kickoff Media Days. Heupel and the Vols will talk on July 15, Auburn, Georgia and Texas.

Media days start July 14 with LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Wednesday, July 16 will feature Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State and Oklahoma and Thursday, July 17 will be Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas A&M.

Tennessee is a 12.5-point favorite vs. Syracuse

Tennessee is a 12.5-point favorite against Syracuse. The Vols were a 13.5-point favorite when the line was initially released in January. 

The updated win total for Tennessee this season is set at 8.5, according to odds from FanDuel. The total for the Vols was previously 9.5, before losing Nico Iamaleava to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Over 8.5 wins is -122 in the new odds while under 8.5 wins is +100. Tennessee also went from the eighth best odds to win a national championship, at +1800, to 12th, at +3000.

A closer look at Tennessee’s 2025 schedule

The neutral-site game against Syracuse is billed as the Aflac Kickoff Game and will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tennessee hosts ETSU in its home opener on September 6 at Neyland Stadium, hosts UAB on September 20 and New Mexico State on November 15.

Tennessee hosts Georgia at Neyland Stadium on September 13, goes to Alabama on October 18 and goes to Florida on November 22. 

The Vols go to Mississippi State on September 27 in the first road SEC game. Tennessee comes back home to face Arkansas on October 11, goes to Kentucky on October 25 and closes the regular-season schedule at home against Vanderbilt on November 29. 

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