4. 2014 (Jan. 2, 2015; Called TaxSlayer Bowl)
Defeated Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28
Final record: 7-6 (3-5)
The last time Tennessee football played in the Gator Bowl, it was called the TaxSlayer Bowl. And something about it was eerily similar to this time. The Vols were under a second-year head coach, they were left for dead after being 3-5 early, but they turned things around dramatically behind Joshua Dobbs to get to 6-6.
Anyway, at this point in time, everybody thought Butch Jones was building something, and the program was certainly heading in the right direction. The TaxSlayer Bowl was a chance for the 2014 Vols to make a statement win heading into the offseason.
So on Jan. 2, 2015, one day after the first two College Football Playoff games in history were played, they met the Iowa Hawkeyes, who were 7-5. It was total domination from the start. UT jumped out to a 28-0 lead and led 35-7 at halftime. They upped it to 42-7 in the third quarter before calling off the dogs and letting Iowa come back late. Still, they won 45-28.
Dobbs was named MVP with a passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. This was memorable at the time because it was UT’s first bowl game in four years, it secured their first winning season in five years, and it was their first bowl win in seven years.
With everybody back next year, Jones appeared to have the Vols on the rise. And they would take another step in 2015 by going 9-4 and finishing in the top 25. Repeating that 9-4 record in 2016 before everything collapsing in 2017 showed it was all a mirage. But at this point in time, that didn’t appear to be the case.