The real UT debate gets a national stage in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season, when Tennessee and Texas meet for the first time since 1968. It’s also the first time this matchup will be played in Knoxville, with Neyland Stadium set for a Saturday noon kickoff on Sept. 26.
Tickets for Tennessee vs. Texas are on sale now through StubHub, with the current get-in price listed at $350. Lower bowl seats are going for $400, while terrace passes are priced at $1,650.
The game lands in the middle of two schedules built with plenty of heavyweight swings. Tennessee opens with Texas State on Sept. 5, hosts Ohio State on Sept. 12 and UTSA on Sept. 19 before welcoming Texas.
The Vols’ SEC slate also includes Oklahoma on Oct. 10, Florida on Oct.
17, Ole Miss on Oct. 24, Mississippi State on Oct.
31, Missouri on Nov. 7, LSU on Nov.
14, Arkansas on Nov. 21 and a trip to Texas A&M on Fri., Nov. 27.
Texas, meanwhile, starts with Furman on Sept. 5, visits Georgia Tech on Sept. 12, plays Kennesaw State on Sept. 19 and then heads to Knoxville. The Longhorns’ remaining schedule includes Auburn on Oct.
3, Arkansas on Oct. 10, Alabama on Oct.
17, South Carolina on Oct. 24, Kentucky on Nov.
7, Texas A&M on Nov. 14, LSU on Nov. 21 and Vanderbilt on Nov.
Both programs are trying to get back to the CFP after missing out last season following 2025 berths, and this one has the feel of a game that will travel far beyond one Saturday afternoon in Neyland.
In Other News...
College GameDay Sees Texas As A Contender But Not A Sure Thing
ESPNs College GameDay spent part of the weekend sorting through the SECs top tier, and Texas came out of it with something close to a respectability stamp. Several of the panels analysts, including Nick Saban and Desmond Howard, weighed in on the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff National Championship, and the consensus leaned toward Georgia as the favorite to come out of the conference. Even so, the Longhorns were firmly in the conversation, which is where they wanted to be entering another season with bigger expectations attached to the program.
Desmond Howard went a step farther and picked Texas to win both the SEC and the national title, a reminder that the Longhorns are being viewed as more than just a team with upside. At the same time, the broader skepticism around the league suggests they still have to prove they belong in that same elite bucket as Georgia. Texas will get its first chance to start making that case when it opens the season against Texas State, with the early weeks likely to shape how much of that playoff buzz is real. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Depth Chart Already Reveals A Few Surprising Early Battles
Texas released its first official depth chart of the season ahead of the Texas State game, and it already offered a few hints about where the early competition is fiercest. The Longhorns listed starters and backups across offense, defense and special teams, giving the first real look at how the staff is sorting out roles after camp.
Among the more notable choices, sophomore Dylan Sikorski is penciled in ahead of sixth-year Laurence Seymore at left guard, a sign that the interior line picture is still taking shape. The rest of the chart also suggests Texas is not afraid to make some early calls and keep a few jobs open to challenge, which is exactly the kind of pressure a team wants before the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Coleman Could Be More Important To Texas Than Fans Realize
Cam Coleman is expected to make his Texas debut against Texas State, and the Longhorns appear eager to fold the transfer wideout into an offense that asks a lot more of its receivers than just running past defenders. Steve Sarkisian has said Coleman came to Austin wanting to learn a pro-style NFL system, one built around a full route tree and the kind of detail work that can speed up a young receivers development.
For Texas, that makes Coleman more than just another vertical target. The Longhorns want to use him downfield, but also in a broader mix of routes that should include digs, comebacks, deep curls and crossing patterns, giving him a chance to stress defenses in multiple ways. If he adapts quickly, he could become the sort of versatile piece that changes how opponents have to defend Texas every week. [Read more 🡒]