National media outlet makes post-spring bowl game prediction for Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols have made their goals in 2023 quite clear — they want to get Atlanta and then the College Football Playoff. Going 11-2 in 2022 and surpassing the expectations of everyone in the college football world wasn't enough for Josh Heupel and the Vols. And the fact that Tennessee lost a significant amount […]
The Tennessee Vols have made their goals in 2023 quite clear — they want to get Atlanta and then the College Football Playoff.
Going 11-2 in 2022 and surpassing the expectations of everyone in the college football world wasn't enough for Josh Heupel and the Vols.
And the fact that Tennessee lost a significant amount of NFL talent to the draft isn't going to change the Vols' goals for the 2023 season.
Setting a goal and achieving it are two different things. The Vols will once again face a daunting schedule. This time around, Tennessee travels to Alabama and Florida for key SEC matchups (though they get to host Georgia and South Carolina, their two losses a year ago, in Neyland Stadium). Those games went the Vols' way last season, but winning both matchups in 2023 is far from a given.
247Sports recently made their post-spring bowl game predictions and they have the Vols coming up short of their goal and landing in the Citrus Bowl against Wisconsin.
From 247Sports: Orlando gets first pick of SEC teams once the New Year's Six is finalized and since the Vols are going to finish second in the East behind Georgia, again this is a projection, Tennessee goes to the Citrus. Steve Spurrier infamously said, "you can't spell Citrus without UT" and ironically, the Vols haven't played here since the end of the 2001 season against Michigan.
This prediction essentially means that 247Sports thinks the Vols likely finish outside the top 10 in 2023.
The last 10 Citrus Bowls have featured just two top 10 SEC teams — Alabama in 2019 (ranked No. 9) and South Carolina in 2013 (ranked No. 9).
Last year's Citrus Bowl matchup featured No. 16 LSU against unranked Purdue.
This isn't an insult to Tennessee — it's understandable that national analysts aren't completely sold on the Vols after one impressive season (plus the amount of talent UT is losing). But it's still something Tennessee should use as motivation. The national media doesn't seem to be giving the Vols much of a chance to compete for a national championship in 2023. And I'm sure Heupel and his staff would love nothing more than to make the national media look foolish for a second straight season.
