Vanderbilt fans may want to start planning ahead to budget for a trip to Hawaii. In 2022, Vanderbilt’s football season will open in Honolulu against the Rainbow Warriors in the first game of a home-and-home series.
According to FBSchedules.com, Hawaii will host Vanderbilt on August 27, 2022 in “Week Zero.” The game played before Labor Day weekend is allowed under NCAA scheduling rules. By playing a road game at Hawaii, Vanderbilt will be eligible to add a 13th game during the 2022 season under The Hawaii Exemption. With the NCAA moving toward a 14-week calendar allowing for two bye weeks, it remains to be seen how Vanderbilt will approach their scheduling.
Vanderbilt will host Hawaii in the second game of the home-and-home arrangement on September 30, 2023. The two schools have never faced each other in football.
Vanderbilt is required by the SEC to schedule at least one game each year against another power conference opponent or an approved equivalent such as BYU. Hawaii, a member of the Mountain West Conference, does not satisfy that scheduling requirement for the Commodores, but Vanderbilt already meets the scheduling requirement in 2022 and 2023 with a home-and-home series with Wake Forest of the ACC. Vanderbilt satisfies the SEC non-conference scheduling requirement every season through 2029 except for 2018. Vanderbilt still has one vacancy to fill on its 2018 schedule with games against Middle Tennessee and Tennessee State currently lined up.