Tennessee Vols could a receive nice consolation prize with latest bowl projections
The 2023 season hasn't gone like Tennessee Vol fans have hoped. That's an understatement after the Vols dropped their second straight SEC East game in blowout fashion, this time 38-10 against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. However, despite falling to 7-4, the Vols still have a chance to do go somewhere pretty nice after Christmas […]
The 2023 season hasn't gone like Tennessee Vol fans have hoped. That's an understatement after the Vols dropped their second straight SEC East game in blowout fashion, this time 38-10 against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday.
However, despite falling to 7-4, the Vols still have a chance to do go somewhere pretty nice after Christmas in what could be a pretty appetizing matchup.
Several major national outlets have the Vols playing in the Gator Bowl on December 29, with Tennessee facing a school from North Carolina. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports and Mark Schlabach of ESPN see the Vols facing UNC. 247 Sports echoes this view, pegging the Vols and Tar Heels to square off in Jacksonville, a projection they'd previously made. ESPN's Kyle Bonagura also sees the Gator Bowl for Tennessee but forecasts the Vols facing NC State.
Ending up in Florida for a bowl game is rarely a bad thing. The Gator Bowl, the Outback n/k/a the ReliaQuest Bowl, and the Citrus Bowl are all destinations that provide an opportunity for Tennessee to take on a relatively interesting opponent in a nice climate. That's to say nothing, of course, about the prestigious Orange Bowl that Tennessee won last year over Clemson.
UNC in particular is a very interesting matchup for reasons previously mentioned. The Vols would have the chance to get a bad taste out of their mouths for the 2010 Music City fiasco. But perhaps more importantly the Vols would get a shot at a likely top three draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in UNC QB Drake Maye. If you're going to go to a bowl outside of the New Years Six ones, having interesting storylines and an opportunity to do something memorable is never a bad thing.
With that being said, does the Gator Bowl have an interest in Tennessee? Yes, per 247 Sports' bowl projection article, which notes that the Gator Bowl was one of three Florida-based bowls to have representatives at Tennessee's matchup with Georgia.
If Tennessee can take care of business on Saturday – and as a 25.5-point favorite against Vanderbilt at home, they'd better – then Vol fans could be making some northeast Florida hotel reservations very soon.
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