Pre-season bowl game projection made for Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols have a clear goal in 2023 — the program wants to compete for a championship. But that's the goal that every program has entering the new season (or at least that should be their goal…otherwise why take the field?). When it comes to expectations from the national media for the Vols, however, […]
The Tennessee Vols have a clear goal in 2023 — the program wants to compete for a championship.
But that's the goal that every program has entering the new season (or at least that should be their goal…otherwise why take the field?).
When it comes to expectations from the national media for the Vols, however, the word "championship" isn't being tossed around.
Instead, the national media — specifically 247Sports — seems to think that Tennessee will be relegated to a non-New Year's Six Bowl.
The bowl game projections that 247Sports revealed on Wednesday have the Vols playing Wisconsin in the Citrus Bowl.
From 247Sports: Orlando gets first pick of SEC teams once the New Year's Six finalizes. Since the Vols are likely 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. Failing to return to the New Year's Six might feel like a disappointment for a preseason top 15 team (we project), but certainly wouldn't stunt the growth shown under Josh Heupel thus far.
Tennessee fans might not love that projection, but it's fair. The Vols have a lot to prove after losing a significant amount of talent to the NFL — including quarterback Hendon Hooker, the 2022 SEC offensive player of the year.
Four of the last five SEC teams that went to the Citrus Bowl won at least 10 games (Auburn in 2020 only won six games, but that season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic). 10 wins isn't Tennessee's goal in 2023, but it would be a nice follow-up to an 11 win season that ended with numerous key players leaving for the NFL.
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Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
