All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Vols fans 2019-2020 bowl game rooting guide

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 26
Next
Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images /

17. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Mississippi State Bulldogs over Louisville Cardinals

Monday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET; Nissan Stadium; Nashville, Tenn.; ESPN

So now we’ve got a game that helps Tennessee football sell having a quality win. And they will need a few of those if they are going to have a case to make to finish the 2019 season in the top 25. One way to do that is to make sure they beat as many winning teams as possible, and that’s where the Mississippi State Bulldogs come into play.

Joe Moorhead’s team lost to the Vols in the regular season 20-10. They are facing the Louisville Cardinals, who are 7-5, in the Music City Bowl, and neither team will jump ahead of the Vols with a win if the Vols win as well. However, at 6-6, UT’s case for a top 25 finish hinges on the number of teams with a winning record they beat.

So while Mississippi State is all about the SEC pride and schedule strength, them finishing 7-6 means a lot for Rocky Top. Of course, if Louisville wins, they have an outside chance at being a threat to the Vols’ top 25 finish as well, even if both teams going 8-5 makes it a 99 percent chance that UT remains higher.

Hey, you can’t take any chances. So root for Mississippi State if you are a Vol fan in order to make sure UT has another quality win and that Louisville has no case to threaten Rocky Top with. All of these little things indeed count for something. With Mississippi State as a four-point favorite, they shouldn’t blow this one.

Home/Vols Football