Latest ESPN bowl projections for Tennessee Vols don’t share an obvious concern after Auburn win, and it’s completely fair
Tennessee has a major quarterback question after five games, as evidenced during its win over Auburn. But the latest postseason outlook reflects a belief that they will overcome it.
The Tennessee Vols were on the winning side of a hard fought game against the Auburn Tigers last Saturday in Knoxville. After benching struggling true freshman QB Faizon Brandon in favor of George MacIntyre, the Vols leaned on their ground game to grind their way to a 24-14 win and improve to 4-1 on the season.
Naturally, the biggest question moving forward is at the quarterback position, with Brandon struggling mightily over the last two games against Texas and Auburn after a good start against lesser competition. That’s not where you want to have a major question mark and expect to have a successful season.
But ESPN’s college football writers have a different take. They see the Vols having a solid run the rest of the season. Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both predict Tennessee to land in the Citrus Bowl in their latest bowl projections.
ESPN writers predict Tennessee Vols to the Citrus Bowl in latest bowl projections
Bonagura has Tennessee facing Nebraska in Orlando, with Schlabach predicting the Vols to take on Iowa. It’s worth noting that last week Bonagura and Schlabach both had Tennessee slated to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, which is a slot down in the pecking order. The Citrus gets first dibs on the non-playoff teams.
The Vols played in the Citrus Bowl following the 2023 season at 8-4. But with just how competitive this year’s SEC is, it’s likely the first team out of the playoff would be at 9-3. That’s a pretty bold prediction for a Tennessee team that’s currently trying to find some answers at the QB position.
But Tennessee has the perfect compliment to a shaky quarterback room: a strong rushing attack as well as a physical, stingy defense. That combination helped the 2024 Vols reach the College Football Playoff for the only time at 10-2 two years ago.
We’ll see if it can also help the Vols stay in contention this year while their young quarterbacks find their sea legs.
