Vanderbilt Football Opponents for Next Four Seasons Released

Vanderbilt found out its conference opponents for the next four football seasons through 2029 on Tuesday night.

With the SEC deciding shortly before the 2025 season to add a conference game to the schedule starting next season, the formula for each team’s schedule shifted a little bit. Starting in 2026, all 16 teams will have three teams that they will play annually. These are based on location as well as storied rivalries within the SEC.

Additionally, each team will rotate between six other opponents. This new scheduling system now gives all 16 SEC programs the opportunity to play each other at least once every two years and the chance for every SEC team to play each other both home and away every four seasons.

On3’s Chris Low reported the three annual opponents for all 16 teams on Monday and it was confirmed tonight in the SEC’s four-year schedule release on Tuesday. For Vanderbilt, its three annual opponents for the next four seasons are its in-state rival Tennessee, then Auburn and Mississippi State.

Tennessee is, of course, no surprise to be listed as one of Vanderbilt's three opponents it will face every season for at least through 2029. What may surprise fans is the other two teams it will see annually. The Commodores have only played Mississippi State 24 times all-time going back to 1904 and has faced Auburn 45 times dating back to 1893.

The move to a 9-game conference schedule came after the College Football Playoff Committee had announced that it was going to value strength of schedule and strength of record analytics more. With the SEC commonly having plenty of teams ranked high in the sport every year, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and SEC teams are hoping that this decision will give more teams in the conference a shot at a postseason run.

Upon the Tuesday night's schedule release, here are Vanderbilt football’s SEC opponents for the next four years.

2026

vs. Tennessee

at Mississippi State

at Auburn

at Georgia

at Kentucky

vs. Ole Miss

vs. Alabama

vs. Arkansas

at Florida

2027

at Tennessee

vs. Mississippi State

vs. Auburn

vs. Oklahoma

at Texas A&M

at LSU

vs. South Carolina

vs. Texas

at Missouri

2028

vs. Tennessee

at Mississippi State

at Auburn

vs. Georgia

vs. Kentucky

at Ole Miss

at Alabama

at Arkansas

vs. Florida

2029

at Tennessee

vs. Mississippi State

vs. Auburn

at Oklahoma

vs. Texas A&M

vs. LSU

at South Carolina

at Texas

vs. Missouri

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