Tennessee football's latest bowl projections after Championship Saturday
There are a couple options for Tennessee football’s bowl destination based on the latest and final round of bowl projections — The Taxslayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville or the Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa.
In the final round of updated bowl projections following Championship Saturday, five media outlets have the Vols headed to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl while two others have Tennessee in Tampa for the Reliaquest Bowl, formerly known as the Outback Bowl.
ESPN, The Athletic, USA Today, CBS Sports, College Football Network and Fox Sports all have Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, a Noon Eastern Time start on Friday, December 29 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
Athlon and The Action Network have the Vols in the Reliaquest Bowl, a Noon ET start on Monday, January 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
A Closer Look: The Projected Opponents
Possible opponents vary from one projection to the next.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach has Tennessee facing Louisville in the Gator Bowl while ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has the Vols matched up against North Carolina.
College Football Network has a bowl game rematch between Tennessee and Clemson in the Gator Bowl, while Fox Sports, The Athletic and CBS Sports all have Tennessee facing North Carolina State.
USA Today has a Tennessee-Notre Dame Gator Bowl projection.
Both Reliaquest Bowl projections, from Athlon and The Action Network, has Tennessee facing Wisconsin, with The Action Network projecting the Vols as an eight-point favorite
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 played in the Outback Bowl three times, losing to Penn State 20-10 on New Year’s Day 2007, beating Wisconsin 21-17 on New Year’s Day 2008 and beating Northwestern 45-6 on New Year’s Day 2016.
The Vols played in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa on New Year’s Day 1993, beating Boston College 38-23.
