The Tennessee Vols will learn on Tuesday night who their three permanent SEC opponents will be moving forward.

Starting in 2026, the SEC will adopt a nine-game schedule, with each program having three permanent opponents. The other six opponents will rotate each season.

If a player spends four years at a school (which is becoming increasingly rare), they’ll have the opportunity to play at every SEC venue at least once.

On3’s Chris Low shares insight on who the Tennessee Vols’ three permanent SEC opponents will be

There are lot of rumblings flying around about who the Vols’ three permanent SEC opponents will be.

But according to On3’s Chris Low, no decisions are final yet. In fact, Low noted during an appearance on 99.1 The Sports Animal that SEC athletic directors likely won’t know who the three permanent opponents will be until Tuesday.

While we don’t know for sure who Tennessee’s three permanent opponents will be, we have a decent idea thanks to Low.

“I think there’s two models for Tennessee, as far as the permanent (opponents),” explained Low. “The one I’ve heard the most — two of them are obvious, Alabama and Vandy — the one I’ve heard the most is Alabama, Vandy, and Kentucky. I have heard Alabama, Vandy, and Florida, [too]. I think it’s one of those two. In talking to somebody just this morning about this, there’s a couple different models that the league is still weighing. I don’t think the schools know definitively yet what it’s going to be.

“There have been different models discussed — because the league is really trying hard to protect the traditional rivalries. And I think that’s going to happen. Ole Miss and Mississippi State are going to play. Georgia and Auburn are going to play. Georgia and Florida going to play. And then try to balance it after that to where there’s no one school that’s got three heavyweights and then one that doesn’t. I think, for Tennessee, if it is indeed Kentucky, Vandy, and Alabama, Tennessee is getting a big break there.”

“I don’t think ADs are gonna find out for sure until Tuesday morning,” added Low. “So I don’t think they’re even gonna know until Tuesday.”

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt makes the most sense for Tennessee. Outside of Vanderbilt, Kentucky is the closest school to Knoxville. And with Florida likely getting Georgia and LSU, it’s very unlikely that Tennessee would be the Gators’ third opponent.

If it ends up being Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt, there will be plenty of complaints from other SEC programs and fan bases that the Vols’ path is “too easy” — which is complete nonsense because Tennessee will still be playing either Florida or Georgia each season.

The truth is that with a nine-game schedule, there will be no “easy paths” in the SEC.

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