Alex Golesh's return to Neyland Stadium after leaving in December 2022 to become the USF Bulls' head coach, and the Auburn Tigers' first game on Rocky Top since the 2018 season, is already a sellout.
Per the Knoxville News Sentinel's Emmett Siegel, "No tickets remain for the Vols' matchups with Kennesaw State (Sept. 19, 7:45 p.m. ET), Texas (Sept. 26, noon), Auburn (Oct. 3) and Alabama (Oct. 17). According to the program's release, limited tickets are still available for the season opener against Furman (Sept. 5, 3:30 p.m.) and SEC games against Kentucky (Nov. 7) and LSU (Nov. 21)."
The Texas Longhorns matchup in Week 4 is the SEC opener for the Tennessee Volunteers and the first time the Burnt Orange has ever been to Knoxville. With Arch Manning's star power, it's not hard to see why that game is already practically impossible to get into. That could be a sneaky potential upset chance for the Vols, too.
The Third Saturday in October game is also pretty self-explanatory. Though the Alabama Crimson Tide is no longer the box office draw it was under Nick Saban, this rivalry is arguably more interesting with Kalen DeBoer in tow. It's more competitive, if nothing else, leading to a 1-1 start so far.
The Kennesaw State Owls matchup is an odd one on the surface, since it's not the home opener. With that said, this is a return game for KSU head coach Jerry Mack, who was the RB coach on Rocky Top from 2021 to 2023. Plus, not for nothing, the Owls were a wagon in 2025, winning the Conference USA Championship and going 10-4. Perhaps Kennesaw State will be a surprisingly game opponent.
With all that said, though, the homecoming angle is far more interesting a few weeks later in a marquee conference matchup. That's when Golesh will be leading the Tigers into an SEC Stadium of a program that has had replicable success in recent years that Auburn would die to have.
Josh Heupel hyped the Auburn-Tennessee game at SEC Media Days
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel publicly declared the Tigers game a "unique" one, not only because of the Golesh connection, but because former Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks is now a safeties coach and co-DC at AU.
"I've got a ton of respect for the guys that are in that building. It'll be unique," Heupel said of the Tigers' head coach and safeties coach.
Undoubtedly, the familiarity will breed respect. Between two SEC coaches, respect typically looks like a hard-fought matchup on the gridiron. Neither side will be holding back, with Heupel needing to stay ahead of the student and Golesh wanting to usurp the teacher. When you add in the must-win nature of both coaches' situations, in different ways, of course, it gets even better. Golesh needs to end the losing in Lee County, Alabama, and establish himself. Heupel needs to avoid further slippage from a team two years removed from a CFP appearance.
If you didn't get a ticket and already plan your trip up to East Tennessee just yet for the weekend of October 3, you'd better find a good secondary market reseller and act quickly.
Auburn-Tennessee is a scorching hot ticket in Week 5.
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