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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) /
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Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images /

9. Redbox Bowl

Illinois Fighting Illini over Cal Golden Bears

Monday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET; Levi’s Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.; Fox

Sticking with the same theme, one team is ahead of Tennessee football in the AP Poll while competing in the Coaches Poll, and another poses no threat. That dictates who we say Vol fans should root for in this Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup in the Redbox Bowl out in California. A former UT assistant should get the cheers from Vol fans.

Yes, Lovie Smith actually worked on Phillip Fulmer’s staff back in 1994. Now, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 6-6, having finally reached a bowl game. If they beat the Cal Golden Bears, they will finish 7-6 and have beaten a 7-5 Power Five team, while the Vols with a win would finish 8-5 and have beaten an 8-4 Power Five team in their bowl game.

So if both teams win, there is no way Illinois moves ahead of the Vols. On the other hand, if Cal wins, they could leapfrog Rocky Top in both polls. Neither team is ranked right now, to be fair, but Cal will also be 8-5. As a result, once again, there’s no breathing room between UT and Cal if both teams pull out the win.

Favored by seven points, the Vols have to root against odds for Cal to lose. However, if they win, there’s still a chance UT moves ahead of both programs with a win against a better Big Ten program. But it’s better if they don’t have that to wonder.

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