Tennessee and Virginia will open at Nissan
Tennessee football will play Virginia in its 2023 season opener at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Sports Council announced Monday.
The game will be played on Sept. 2. Kickoff time will be announced at a later date.
UT was scheduled to play at BYU for the 2023 opener, but it will buy out that contract.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the first $2 million in net ticket revenue from the game at Nissan Stadium will be designated as UT'S buyout to the BYU contract.
The next $500,000 will go to Music City Bowl and Nashville Sports Council to pay for the use of Nissan Stadium and other game management expenses.
The next $1.5 million will go to Virginia, and the $1.5 million after that to UT. Any remaining net ticket revenue will be shared 80% by UT and 20% by the Nashville Sports Council.
“Pivoting to play a marquee non-conference opponent in Nashville made sense for multiple reasons,” UT athletics director Danny White said in a school release. “This is a more accessible game for our fanbase. I expect that we will
have a much larger contingent of fans in Nashville than would have been able to
travel to Utah.
“Our fans also have heard me talk about the importance of finding new revenue to grow our operating budget, and playing Virginia at Nissan Stadium is an opportunity for a net-positive revenue game.”
SEC officials will work the game
This will mark the third time UT opens a season at Nissan Stadium. The Vols beat Wyoming 47-7 in 2002 and defeated Bowling Green 59-30 in 2015.
It will be UT'S first trip to Nissan Stadium since losing to Purdue in the Music City Bowl, 48-45 in overtime, in a controversial ending.
An ACC crew officiated that game. But SEC officials will work this game and the Vols will be the home team, according to the memo of understanding.
The SEC will retain TV rights to the game. UT will be responsible for all costs associated with game officials and instant replay.
“Both programs have a place in Nashville Sports history, having both played in the Transperfect Music City Bowl,” Nashville Sports Council President/ CEO Scott Ramsey said. “We look forward to hosting them along with their loyal fanbases and once again showcasing Nashville on a national stage.”
Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @Adamsparks.