Updated bowl projections near a consensus for Tennessee after the loss to No. 1 Georgia
Bowl projections for Tennessee football have nearly reached a consensus in the days after the loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The overwhelming majority of the updated predictions have the Vols headed to the Taxslayer Gator Bowl.
Nine of ten media projections — Athlon, CBS Sports, College Football Network, ESPN, The Action Network, The Athletic, USA Today and Yahoo — currently have Tennessee slotted for the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
The Gator Bowl is scheduled for Friday, December 29, and is a Noon Eastern Time kickoff. See the full Bowl Season schedule here.
The Sporting News has Tennessee in the Music City Bowl (Saturday, December 30, 2 p.m. ET) against Rutgers.
Athlon, CBS Sports, The Action Network, The Athletic and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach all have Tennessee matched up against North Carolina in the Gator Bowl, with The Action Network listing the Vols as a five-point favorite against the Tar Heels.
College Football Network has Tennessee in a rematch with Clemson in the Gator Bowl. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, USA Today and Yahoo have the Vols facing North Carolina State.
A Closer Look: The Projected Opponents
North Carolina (8-3) is ranked No. 23 in ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Tar Heels started the season 6-0 then dropped back-to-back games against Virginia and Georgia Tech. UNC lost at Clemson on Saturday after wins over Campbell and Duke.
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N.C. State (8-3) is ranked No. 42 in the ESPN FPI after winning four straight straight, beating Clemson, Miami, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack started 4-3 with losses at home against Notre Dame and Louisville and on the road at Duke.
Rutgers (6-5) is ranked No. 49 in ESPN’s FPI and has lost three straight five of its last seven. The Scarlet Knights have losses against Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa and Penn State.
Bowl History: Tennessee’s Projected Destinations
Tennessee has played in the Gator Bowl seven times. The Vols beat Texas A&M 3-0 in the 1957 Gator Bowl, beat Syracuse 18-12 in the 1966 Gator Bowl and lost 14-13 to Florida in the 1969 Gator Bowl. Texas Tech beat the Vols 28-19 in the 1973 Gator Bowl and Tennessee beat Virginia Tech 45-23 in the 1994 Gator Bowl, played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
Tennessee beat Iowa 45-28 in 2015, when the Gator Bowl was known as the TaxSlayer Bowl and the Vols beat Indiana 23-22 in the 2019 Gator Bowl. This year’s Gator Bowl will be played on Friday, December 29 and will be a Noon Eastern Time start at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
Tennessee has played in the Music City Bowl three times, losing 30-27 to North Carolina in 2010, beating Nebraska 38-24 in 2016 and losing 47-45 to Purdue in 2021. The Vols started the season at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, beating Virginia 49-13 on September 2.
