Air Force, Cal to be UT football foes

"I was interested in getting a service academy to play us, and I started out looking at Army because of the Neyland connections,'' Hamilton said. "We couldn't get hooked up with them, but Air Force was available.''

Hamilton said the Air Force game will be the first in a "number of years versus a service academy.''

The Vols open the 2006 slate with a Sept. 2 home game against Pac 10 power California, and follow with home dates against Florida and Marshall before making their first trip to play Memphis since 2001.

UT coach Phillip Fulmer said he approves of the schedule's national flavor.

"We've always played different teams from different regions,'' Fulmer said. "It's an important part of what we are at Tennessee. It has paid dividends for us over the years.''

The Vols' game with the Falcons will mark the second time the teams have played in history. UT won the meeting by a 34-13 count in the 1971 Sugar Bowl.

The game with Cal will be the schools' third all-time; UT lost to Cal by a 27-17 count in 1977 and defeated the Golden Bears 38-12 in 1987.

Hamilton said he believes both the Cal and Air Force games will be appealing to television.

The Cal game will likely feature two top-25 teams, while the Air Force game is an intriguing intersectional matchup.

"A lot depends on what's available for the networks to choose from on those weekends,'' Hamilton said. "But on the front end, Dave Brown (who works with scheduling for ESPN) indicated they would be interested.''

Hamilton said his only concern with scheduling Air Force is that they run a peculiar style of offense, an option-style of attack known as the Wingbone.

UT defensive coordinator John Chavis essentially said 'bring it on.'

"First of all, I'm worried about the 2005 season,'' Chavis said. "But as far as Air Force and the future is concerned, yeah, they do a great job with their offense and get the most out of their talent.

"It's a unique offense, and they do a tremendous job with it. If they're on the schedule, we'll have to be ready for them.''

The Vols formally announced Northern Illinois would be added to the 2007 schedule. The game with the Huskies was originally scheduled for 2010. Hamilton there are several possibilities for the 2009 and 2010 season, but before that's settled the Vols will need to shift other games around.

Hamilton said he's close to landing a home-and-home series against a major opponent in 2010 and 2011.