Tennessee football headed to Orlando for the Citrus Bowl
For the third in five years, Tennessee is going bowling in the Sunshine State. But for the first time since 2002, it will be in Orlando as the Vols will take on Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
The SEC announced the bowl match-up Sunday afternoon following the College Football Playoff’s final rankings — rankings that have created plenty of debate and anger today in college football.
“The bowl dynamic has changed drastically really since we started the college football playoff and the CFP committee,” Tennessee athletics director Danny White said of the process. “The subjectivity and the politicking of yesterday is not really a thing any more. It’s a pretty objective system. When the playoff committee finalizes their rankings, then contracts with bowls come into play and people get plugged in based on where they are ranked. The fallout from there will have an impact on what bowl opportunities are there with the rest of our conference membership. Even within that there’s objectivity based on what we have earned across the season.”
Tennessee finished the regular season 8-4 with a 48-24 win over Vanderbilt. The Vols landed in Orlando because the SEC got four teams in the combination of the New Year’s 6 and College Football Playoffs.
In three seasons as the head coach Josh Heupel has guided the Vols to a 26-12 recording and three straight post season games.
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In his first year, Tennessee fell 48-45 in overtime to Purdue in the Music City Bowl. Last year, the Vols made the New Year’s Six beating Clemson 31-14 in the Orange Bowl.
The January 1st game will kickoff 1pm at Camping World Stadium. Tennessee’s last appearance in Orlando was 2002 when the Vols beat Michigan 45-17. The 2024 game will mark the Vols 6th appearance Tampa where Tennessee has a 4-1 record.
This years game will be the 55 bowl appearance for Tennessee which has them tied for 5th all time and the Vols will be seeking their 30th bowl win as a program.
