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Tennessee Vols Bowl Projections Following Week 13

By Caleb Calhoun

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Here are the experts’ bowl projections for the Tennessee Volunteers following Week 13 of the college football season after the team’s win over Vanderbilt.

So despite being expected to win out as far as four weeks ago, expert analysts were not smart enough to update their bowl projections for the Tennessee Vols until they actually did it.

After a dominant win over the Vanderbilt Commodores, Tennessee finished the season 8-4 and second in the SEC East, which everybody should have seen coming but, for some reason, nobody did.

As a result, projections for the Vols have shifted from a low-level no-name bowl game to one of the better SEC slots. Many of the analysts have really upped what they thought just two weeks ago.

And although it’s nice to finally get respect from them, the change in projections honestly warrants less respect for them.

They knew the Vols would likely win out, so how could they then get surprised with the 8-4 record and change their projections?

Anyway, riding a five-game winning streak and in the midst of their best season since 2007, here is where college football analysts have the Vols going bowling now.

Jerry Palm, CBS: Outback Bowl; Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

Jerry Palm made the jump from the Liberty Bowl to the Outback Bowl in just two weeks. Seriously? Was beating Vanderbilt and Missouri that shocking?

Oh well. At least he is on board now. This would be a repeat of Peyton Manning’s junior year, when the Vols faced Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl and destroyed them. Perhaps Joshua Dobbs could do the same his junior year.

Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Outback Bowl; Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

Mark Schlabach was at least a little more consistent, upping his projections from the Belk Bowl to the Outback Bowl. Those are both at least upper-tier SEC bowl games. But the Outback Bowl is better.

And like Jerry Palm, he has the Vols taking on the Wildcats from the Big Ten. This would be a heck of a match-up for conference pride on both sides.

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Brett McMurphy, ESPN: Outback Bowl; Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

That’s right. We are now at three straight predictions for the Outback bowl with the Vols playing the Northwestern Wildcats, all of whom did not even consider Tennessee for a New Years Day bowl game just a few weeks ago.

McMurphy looks even worse, though, because he had the Vols projected as low as the Music City Bowl. But at least he got it right now.

Phil Steele, PhilSteele.com: Outback Bowl; Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

Now it’s pretty clear that the Outback Bowl against the Northwestern Wildcats is the destination for the Vols. But don’t be too confident. These analysts were not smart enough to see this two weeks ago.

And Phil Steele was among the worst, projecting the Vols to go to the Music City Bowl. Still, once again, at least he got it right now.

Pete Fiutak, Campus Insiders: Liberty Bowl; Opponent: West Virginia Mountaineers

Here is at least the one guy who is sticking to his guns. Pete Fiutak has the Vols staying in Tennessee to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers, another four-loss Power Five team.

It honestly would not be a terrible match-up. The Mountaineers are 7-4 and close out the year at Kansas State, likely to propel them to 8-4. This game could be a game to see who gets to finish the year in the Top 25, and although it is not as elite as the Outback Bowl, it would at least be exciting.

All for Tennessee Bowl Projections for Vols: Outback Bowl; Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats

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We were apparently the biased and crazy ones for predicting this match-up three weeks ago. Now everybody has the Vols going to Tampa.

They finished the year second in the SEC East and sixth in the SEC overall. The Outback Bowl gives preference to the East, and if Florida and Ole Miss make it to New Years Six bowl games, which is very likely, then the Vols should be able to move up into here.

But they should be able to do it regardless anyway because they should get dibs over Georgia. Tennessee is 8-4 with three losses to potential conference champions. They showed up well in Jacksonville last year, so the Florida bowl games will take notice.

And a match-up against the 10-2 Northwestern Wildcats would be epic. It would be a huge opportunity for the Vols to score a big win against a ranked opponent, really cementing their chances to finish the year in the Top 25.

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