Sporting News released their 2014 bowl game predictions on Tuesday and they have the Vols playing in their first bowl game since 2010 when they lost to North Carolina.
Tennessee is projected by Sporting News to take on East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
Any bowl game would mean a successful season for the Volunteers. The goal last season was to make a bowl game, but a close loss at home to Vanderbilt spoiled those hopes.
The Vols have a lot of young talent coming in 2014, but they also lost their entire starting defensive and offensive lines. Combine that with another brutal schedule (opening at home against Utah State, on the road against Oklahoma and typical SEC East play) and you have a recipe for another 5-7 season.
Looking at the 2014 schedule, it’s easy to see where Tennessee could end up with another 5-7 season. In order to get to six wins they’ll likely have to either beat Florida at home or go on the road and beat Ole Miss.
And that’s assuming they beat Utah State at home and Vanderbilt on the road.
There are scenarios, of course, but that seems to be the most popular one.
A bowl game is definitely within reach, but it’s not necessarily a sure thing and it shouldn’t be the only thing used to measure the Vols’ success in 2014.
Sporting News Bowl Game Predictions
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