KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Second-ranked Tennessee opens defense of its national championship by welcoming Wyoming to Neyland Stadium.

A 7 p.m. EDT kickoff in front of 102,854 fans officially will bring to a close the Volunteers' glorious 1998 campaign, which culminated with a 23-16 victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on January 4.

It was the Volunteers' first national crown since 1951. Now the question is being asked, Can they do it again?

"We are looking forward to the game, being the opening game of the season," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "I think our team has had a really good attitude about their work and preparation."

Despite a tough schedule that includes a trip to No. 5 Florida later this month, it appears Tennessee might be even better than last season, which it began ranked 10th.

The biggest factor might be the return of star tailback Jamal Lewis, who totaled 497 yards in the first four games last year before tearing knee ligaments. He is back near 100 percent and will take most of the carries from Travis Henry and Travis Stephens, who combined for 1,535 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1998.

"Jamal's a special foootball player and he'll get 60 percent of the carries at tailback," Fulmer said. "The other guys will handle the other stuff in addition to taking other roles on the football team. I am looking forward to seeing Jamal run again."

Lewis enters the season just 139 yards of the 2,000 mark for his career.

Also back is quarterback Tee Martin, who threw for 2,442 yards and 21 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Cedrick Wilson inherits Peerless Price's role as the lead wide receiver.

Leading the way is one of the best offensive lines in the nation, spearheaded by two All-America candidates, center Spencer Riley and guard Cosey Coleman.

Wyoming, now a member of the newly formed Mountain West Conference, went 8-3 last season, closing the campaign with losses to Air Force and Tulsa following a seven-game winning streak.

The Cowboys star is quarterback Jay Stoner. The underrated Stoner connected on 58 percent (183-of-316) of his passes last year for 2,373 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

This will be the first meeting between the schools.

WYOMING Season schedule and results	TENNESSEE Season schedule and results
Sep. 4 @Tennessee 7:00pm ET Sep. 11 Weber State 4:00pm ET Sep. 25 @Air Force 1:00pm ET Oct. 2 Idaho 3:00pm ET Oct. 9 Nevada Las Vegas 3:00pm ET Oct. 16 @Northeast Louisiana 8:00pm ET Oct. 23 Colorado State 3:00pm ET Nov. 6 @Utah TBA Nov. 13 BYU 2:00pm ET Nov. 20 New Mexico 2:00pm ET Nov. 27 @San Diego State 9:00pm ET	Sep. 4 Wyoming 7:00pm ET Sep. 18 @Florida 8:00pm ET Sep. 25 Memphis TBA Oct. 2 Auburn TBA Oct. 9 Georgia TBA Oct. 23 @Alabama TBA Oct. 30 South Carolina TBA Nov. 6 Notre Dame TBA Nov. 13 @Arkansas 2:00pm ET Nov. 20 @Kentucky 2:30pm ET Nov. 27 Vanderbilt TBA