No. 18 Tennessee and Syracuse will renew their football series Saturday in Week 1. Rankings reflect the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Orange are receiving 16 votes.
Kickoff between the Vols and Syracuse is slated for noon EDT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. ABC will televise the nonconference matchup. Former Vol Al Wilson will serve as a honorary game captain.
Tennessee leads the football series, 3-0, all time versus Syracuse. The last meeting was on Sept. 1, 2001 at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee was victorious, 33-9.
The Vols opened their 1998 national championship season with a, 34-33, win at Syracuse. The first meeting between Tennessee and the Orange was contested Dec. 31, 1966 in the Gator Bowl. Tennessee won, 18-12.
On Sunday to kickoff game week between Tennessee and Syracuse, the Vols have an 88.6 percent chance to win their season opener (ESPN FPI). Nolan Analytics also projects Tennessee to defeat the Orange, 35-19, at the beginning of game week.
The season opener is ranked as the third best football game in 2025 by Peter Burns of SEC Network.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Initial Tennessee-Syracuse football game prediction to kick off Week 1