Three Opponents Vols Should Schedule For The Next 12 Years

By Cody McClure

If you missed today’s big college football news, then you should know that Notre Dame and Clemson have agreed to schedule one another for the next 12 years.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the Irish and Tigers agreed to a deal that will have them playing annually through 2038.

The series was made independently through the two schools, Dellenger reported, though Notre Dame does have some association with the ACC.

It got me to thinking. Hmm. How can we make this about Tennessee?

So here are the top three opponents I would like to see the Vols schedule if we had to lock one in for 12 consecutive seasons.

It should go without saying that these are all teams outside the conference.

UCLA

The first one seems obvious. With Nico Iamaleava playing quarterback for the Bruins — at least for this upcoming season but you never know where he’ll end up — the drama would be nothing short of remarkable. Vol X would be freaking out for weeks leading up to the game. Memes. Misquotes. Hurt feelings. And how sweet it would be when Tennessee waxed this weak ass basically-still-in-the-Pac-12 team. Plus once Nico is gone, we could beat up on his brother too and have Papa Iamaleava pissed off for years to come. The weather, of course, is another bonus here. Sunny Southern California every other year. Seeing the boys play ball in the Rose Bowl. Sign me up.

Colorado

Who knows how long Deion Sanders will be at Colorado. It seems like he’s already spent more time in Boulder than many thought he would. But as long as he’s the head coach of the Buffaloes, they’ll remain relevant and interesting. Colorado would make for a challenging but winnable game every year. The storylines would be fun. The quotes and general shit talk would be fun. And — this is a big one for me — it’s a fun travel destination. Boulder, Colorado… nestled right in the Rockies. A cozy weekend getaway every other year. Again, sign me up. We’ll call it the Mountain Series. Or Smokies vs. Rockies or something. IDK. Something.

Oregon

Ever since Tennessee and Oregon played in Neyland Stadium in 2010, our fan bases have had a bit of a bromance. Our fans were hospitable to Ducks fans back in the day and then they returned the favor to us with good hospitality in 2013. After that was the whole “can a duck pull a truck” thing where Oregon randomly supported our efforts to beat Florida in 2016. This would be more of a fun back and forth. A good-spirited little home-and-home series. The only downfall is that we’d more than likely take more losses in this than we would vs. UCLA or Colorado. Oregon is a true power of a program. It would be a great challenge and a great opportunity. Plenty of room for Oregon Trail jokes, too. Can a duck pull a wagon full of pioneers plagued with dysentery?

Honorable Mentions:

Miami but only in late November. Penn State but only in early September.