Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel will meet with the media for the final time before Saturday’s season opener vs. Virginia in Nashville.

He’s slated to speak at 11 a.m. ET.

For updates, follow along in this thread and on Twitter @TennesseeRivals, @RyanTSylvia, @ByNoahTaylor.

Going with the classics:

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From @Shayne_Pickering:

Why is Fla picked to beat the VOLS.

From @DaleDowden:

It's football time in Tennessee!

The Vols are ready to get 2023 started.

MORE: https://tennessee.rivals.com/news/t...dy-to-get-the-2023-season-started-on-saturday

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel spoke on the SEC Coaches Teleconference ahead of Saturday's season opener vs. Virginia.

Everything he said: https://Tennessee.rivals.com/news/everything-josh-heupel-said-on-sec-coaches-teleconference

JT Shrout will be the starting QB for Butch Jones' Arkansas State this year.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is set to speak on the SEC Coaches Teleconference at 11:50 a.m. ET.

For updates, follow along here and on Twitter @TennesseeRivals.

Tennessee and Michigan State will play in a preseason exhibition game with the proceeds going towards Maui wildfire relief:

A rebuild of Tennessee's defense has accumulated in depth at the linebacker position.

The Vols now feature a healthy balance of leadership, experience and potential there:

The Tennessee freshman LB made the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year watch list:

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Depth charts only tell you so much but Tennessee's did have interesting aspects leading into Week 1.

I break down my biggest takeaways:

Have two for sale X5 row 10. Chairback seats. Electronic transfer. Selling as pair. $500 each

Per Weather Channel, Nashville weather on Saturday will be clear with a high of 89 degrees and 57% humidity.

A pair of assistant coaches and trio of players spoke with the media on Tuesday.

Here are my biggest takeaways from what they had to say.

Will Heupel talk to media again this week? Will he name any starters or is it going to be all coach talk?

Obviously isn’t over. The SEC, I’m sure, will make more moves in the near future.

Just curious, what teams would you like to see in the league?

Two obvious choices are Clemson and Florida State and that’s who I would go with. I think they add more across all sports in addition to football and have a culture that fits perfectly.

Virginia head coach Tony Elliott met with the media Tuesday to preview Saturday's season opener against Tennessee at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. I listened to Elliott's press conference and have listed some notes:

– On moving forward from last season's 3-7 finish: "The area for me is consistency – both sides of the ball. ... Just to be consistent, to be competitive and not beat ourselves." Talked a bit about Virginia's defense and special teams, saying that the Cavaliers worked on both during fall camp.

– Elliott said his team is excited to go and play someone else – "Guys were showing that they're a little bit tired of each other" at today's practice. Noted that he can "definitely feel the anticipation" ahead of Saturday's matchup with Tennessee.

– On expectations for new Virginia starting quarterback Tony Muskett: "Just be himself. At the end of the day, it's just about playing your game – doing what it is that has always made you successful. ... Not trying to do too much." He said that Muskett doesn't need to be a superhero; he simply needs to be himself and have fun while playing.

– Elliott talked about the challenge of playing against Tennessee at an NFL venue in the Vols' home state and what it presents for Virginia, saying that "this will be an environment that they may have not played in before" and "they've got to be ready" and "they can't become overwhelmed by the environment."

– Elliott said that his team hasn't played in a long time and is coming off a very long offseason, so he's been working to help his guys channel their emotions when it comes to taking on a good Tennessee team in their home state to open the season.

– On Tennessee's fast-paced offense: "They're good. ... They're really good. People talk about the pace, but it's much of how they spread the field. If you watch them, they're splits are a little unorthodox. They go against convention when you talk about the spacing because they really, really push their wideouts wide to the sideline. That forces the defense to make a decision." He also said that Tennessee is physical up front and can also run the football.

– Elliott called Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton "a stud" and said that he can both throw it and run with it. "(He's) a throw guy first, but man, when he pulls it down, it's pretty scary." He made it clear that Virginia's defense will have to be quick after the whistle because the Vols reset so fast and are onto the next play before you know it.

– On Tennessee's front seven and how they'll test Muskett: "You can't help but notice that they're big. Like, they're really big. These guys can move." He shared that he feels that Aaron Beasley is Tennessee's top defensive player and is "a matchup problem."

Here’s one I’ve been working on for the last few months in anticipation of Tennessee’s opener vs. Virginia.

It’s about the Vols’ 1990 season, which climaxed in a thrilling comeback win against the Cavaliers in the Sugar Bowl.

Saturday’s game is officially a sell out:

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All videos from today: