Way-too-early bowl projections pit Tennessee Vols against the same opponent in very different locations
The Vols aren’t getting much respect from some experts.
It’s been a solid first month of the season for the Tennessee Vols. Despite a 44-41 overtime loss to Georgia on September 13 – a game that could have gone the Vols’ way if Max Gilbert boots through a 43-yard field goal – the Vols are looking the part of a team that deserves its ranking among the nation’s top 15 teams.
However, not every is convinced that the Vols will continue their high level of play – at least not high enough to sustain the hopes of a second straight trip to the College Football Playoff.
CBSSports.com and ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura have the Vols facing off against the Illinois Fighting Illini at year’s end, but in different places.
Experts predict Tennessee against Illinois in the Music City an ReliaQuest Bowls
CBS Sports projects the Vols and Illini to face off in Nashville at the Music City Bowl. Bonagura has Tennessee a small step higher, taking on Illinois in Tampa on New Year’s Eve.
It goes without saying that either bowl would be a disappointment for Tennessee and their fans, particularly with the vastly improved offense that Tennessee has shown off in 2025. And this projection speaks to an interesting lack of belief in Tennessee despite the fact that the Vols will potentially be underdogs in just one more game this season – at Alabama.
Tennessee gets Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt at home, where they have been a very, very difficult team to beat under Josh Heupel for just about every school not named Georgia. They travel to Mississippi State this weekend – a game they’re favored in by 8.5 points – as well as Kentucky and Florida. The trip to Gainesville the Saturday before Thanksgiving is a tough one to predict at this point, but Florida is 1-3 and in the middle of a death march of a schedule, so it’s possible they could be without a coach and rudderless by that point.
A 10-2 schedule is certainly within reach for the Vols if they continue to play at the level that they have. And if they can do that, then they should sail well past these projections and be in position to potentially return to the CFP field again.
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