Vanderbilt, South Carolina to open season Sept. 1 on ESPN

May 17, 2016

ESPN’s coverage of the 2016 college football season will start on the Vanderbilt campus when the Commodores host Southeastern Conference East rival South Carolina Thursday, Sept. 1.

Kickoff for the Thursday opener, pitting the Gamecocks under first-year head coach Will Muschamp against a Commodore squad that looks to improve off a 4-8 2015 campaign, will be at 7 p.m. CT in Vanderbilt Stadium.

In addition to the ESPN announcement regarding the South Carolina encounter, Vanderbilt’s Sept. 24 game at Western Kentucky will kick off at 2:30 p.m., in Houchens Industries-Smith Stadium on the Bowling Green campus.

Vanderbilt and South Carolina last met in a season opener in 2012, with the No. 9 ranked Gamecocks earning a narrow 17-13 win in Nashville.

When the Gamecocks visit Nashville, Vanderbilt will be looking for its first victory in an opener since 2011.

The Commodores also will be seeking their first win against South Carolina since Bobby Johnson’s squad notched back-to-back wins over the Gamecocks in 2007-08. In 2015, the Gamecocks edged Vanderbilt 19-10 in Columbia.

Vanderbilt will be opening its football season on Thursday night for the fifth consecutive year when South Carolina invades Nashville.

Season tickets for the Commodores’ six-game home schedule starts at only $250 for premium sideline seats and $135 for end-zone sections of Vanderbilt Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at here.

Besides South Carolina, Vanderbilt’s home schedule includes Middle Tennessee (Sept. 10), Florida (Oct. 1), Tennessee State (Oct. 22), Ole Miss (Nov. 19) and Tennessee (Nov. 26).

The ESPN announcement included these featured matchups involving SEC teams:

Thursday, Sept. 1
South Carolina at Vanderbilt (7 pm, ESPN)

Saturday, Sept. 3
LSU vs. Wisconsin, Green Bay, Wisc. (2:30 pm, ABC) North Carolina vs. Georgia, Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Atlanta (4:30 pm, ESPN) Southern California vs. Alabama, Arlington, Texas (7 pm, ABC) Clemson at Auburn (8 pm, ESPN)

Monday, Sept. 5
Ole Miss vs. Florida State, 2016 Camping World Kickoff Game, Orlando, (7 pm CT, ESPN)