The 2026 Vanderbilt football schedule opens soft in Nashville before the tests arrive quickly.
Three home games to start give Vanderbilt Commodores football a chance to build early confidence. Then the slate turns on a dime with back-to-back road trips to Auburn and Georgia. A home date with Ole Miss, a Homecoming matchup against Arkansas, and later games against Alabama and Tennessee round out a demanding SEC year that will test depth and resilience.
Here is the complete 2026 Vanderbilt football schedule with dates, locations, times and television information.
2026 Vanderbilt Football Schedule
| Date | Logo | Opponent | Time | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Austin Peay GovernorsFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 7:00pm ET ETSECN+ | ||
| Saturday | Delaware Blue HensFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 4:15pm ET ETSECN | ||
| Saturday | NC State WolfpackFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 12:45pm ET ETSECN | ||
| Saturday | at Auburn TigersJordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL | 3:30-4:30pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | at Georgia BulldogsSanford Stadium, Athens, GA | 12:00-1:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | Ole Miss RebelsFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 3:30-8:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Homecoming | ||||
| Saturday | Arkansas RazorbacksFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 3:30-8:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | at Kentucky WildcatsKroger Field, Lexington, KY | 6:00-8:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | OFF | |||
| Saturday | at Mississippi State BulldogsDavis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS | 3:30-8:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | Alabama Crimson TideFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 12:00-1:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | at Florida GatorsBen Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL | 12:00-1:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | Tennessee VolunteersFirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN | 6:00-8:00pm ET ETTV TBA | ||
| Saturday | vs SEC ChampionshipMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA | 4:00pm ET ETABC | ||
A Soft Open, Then a Reality Check
Austin Peay, Delaware, and NC State — three home games to open the year, and only the Wolfpack really counts as a Power conference test. It is about as gentle a September as this program gets. Then it is not gentle at all. Auburn on the road, followed immediately by a trip to Athens against a Georgia team ranked nationally. Two true road tests against SEC competition in back-to-back weeks, right after three home games that may or may not mean much by comparison. For Vanderbilt Commodores football, surviving that early stretch intact would be a major early statement.
October Doesn’t Let Up Either
Ole Miss comes to Nashville ranked in the top 10, and Vanderbilt’s own Homecoming crowd shows up the following week against Arkansas — no easy assignment there either. Then it is back on the road to Lexington to face Kentucky before the bye finally arrives on Oct. 31. Four ranked-or-rival games inside a five-week stretch is a brutal ask for any program still finding its footing in this league. This portion of the Vanderbilt SEC schedule 2026 will reveal a lot about the roster’s depth and readiness.
Alabama at Home, Tennessee to Close
Mississippi State on the road opens November, then Alabama — ranked, at home, in front of what should be a loud FirstBank Stadium crowd looking for the kind of win that changes a program’s trajectory. A trip to Florida follows, and the regular season wraps against Tennessee back in Nashville. Split those last four and this is a bowl-eligible team. Lose most of them and it is a long offseason in Nashville. The home date with Alabama and the closer against Tennessee give Vanderbilt football two high-visibility opportunities late in the year.
The 2026 Vanderbilt football schedule challenges Vanderbilt Commodores football from the opening weeks through the final regular-season Saturday. Seven home games at FirstBank Stadium provide a solid base, while the consecutive road tests against Auburn and Georgia, plus later visits to Kentucky, Mississippi State and Florida, will determine the ceiling. How the Commodores respond to the early gut-check and the November stretch against Alabama and Tennessee will define the season.
FAQ
When does Vanderbilt football play its first game in 2026?
Vanderbilt opens the 2026 Vanderbilt Commodores football schedule at home against Austin Peay on Saturday, September 5, at FirstBank Stadium.
When is Vanderbilt vs Alabama 2026?
Vanderbilt vs Alabama 2026 is set for Saturday, November 14, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.
How many home games does Vanderbilt play in 2026?
Vanderbilt has seven Vanderbilt football home games in 2026 at FirstBank Stadium: Austin Peay, Delaware, NC State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee.
What is Vanderbilt’s toughest stretch on the 2026 schedule?
The three-week run from Auburn on the road through Georgia on the road and into a home date against Ole Miss — September 26 through October 10 — is the toughest stretch on the Vanderbilt SEC schedule 2026, with Arkansas and Kentucky still to come immediately after.
