Tennessee Football: Why the Vols ended up with a perfect bowl game situation
By now, you should expect some drama anytime the Tennessee Vols are involved. On Sunday afternoon, various reports suggested that Tennessee would be playing Louisville in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on December 30. But as the minutes ticked by without confirmation from Tennessee — or the Music City Bowl — it became apparent […]
By now, you should expect some drama anytime the Tennessee Vols are involved.
On Sunday afternoon, various reports suggested that Tennessee would be playing Louisville in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on December 30.
But as the minutes ticked by without confirmation from Tennessee — or the Music City Bowl — it became apparent that UT's bowl destination would be a little warmer than Nashville in December.
Those suspicions were confirmed when the Music City Bowl revealed its official matchup via their Twitter account.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Vols initially preferred to play in the Music City Bowl. But the preference of some prominent boosters was for Tennessee to play in Florida. That's why there were a couple of hours of bowl game chaos on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the chaos, I think this worked out the best way that it possibly could've for Tennessee.
Playing in the Music City Bowl would've been a solid option for the Vols.
But playing in the Gator Bowl is even better.
And it's all because of recruiting.
For starters, the Vols need to recruit well in Florida if they're going to climb the SEC ladder. Playing in Jacksonville, an area where Jeremy Pruitt said he's had "some success over the years", will be great exposure for Tennessee.
But perhaps more important than the location of the game is the timing of the game.
The Vols will be playing Indiana on January 2 at 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT on ESPN. There are no other bowl games in that slot. There won't be an NFL game, either.
Tennessee's Gator Bowl matchup against Indiana will be the only "fix" for a football obsessed nation. All eyes will be on the Vols and the Hoosiers.
UT's main goal is to be relevant again on the national stage.
The Gator Bowl will give the Vols a massive opportunity to take a step toward the national relevancy the program desires.
Tennessee just needs to make the most of the opportunity.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
