Tech will renew an old rivalry when they open the 2017 season against Tennessee on Labor Day as part of the annual Chick-fil-a kickoff. It will be Tech’s second straight season opening away from Bobby Dodd as the Jackets open the 2016 season in Dublin, Ireland against Boston College. It will be the third straight season that Tech will not open on a Saturday at Bobby Dodd as this seasons’s opener in on a Monday night.
Tennessee and Tech have met 44 times with the Volunteers holding a 24-17-2 series lead. The last matchup between the two schools came in 1987, a 29-15 Tennessee victory in Knoxville.
Tennessee is Tech’s third non-conference opponent to be scheduled for 2017, with a home matchup against UGA and an away game at Central Florida already on the schedule. Expect Tech to add an FCS opponent to round out the schedule.
Tech facing Tennessee will not be the only highly anticipated matchup in Atlanta that weekend. Just two days before the Tech game, powerhouses Florida State and Alabama will face each other in what will likely be the first college football game in the new Atlanta stadium.