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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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images /

23. AllState Sugar Bowl

No. 5 Georgia Bulldog over No. 8 Baylor Bears

Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020 at 8:45 p.m. ET; Mercedes-Benz Superdome; New Orleans, La.; ESPN

We’re still on the games that won’t do anything to put Tennessee football into the top 25. After all, the Georgia Bulldogs and Baylor Bears are both staying in these rankings no matter what, so while it technically has an impact on the Vols overall, it’s a minimal one. It still is one, though, and it goes beyond the Auburn Tigers or LSU Tigers.

UT actually played Georgia this year. So UGA, which is 11-2, beating Baylor and finishing in the top five would look really good for the Vols. After all, they need to have as many quality opponents at the end of the season on their schedule as possible to be able to lay claim to a top 25 finish. Now, with Jeremy Pruitt recruiting the state of Georgia, it may seem like this should go another way.

However, what Georgia does in a bowl game will have no bearing on which recruits they win over UT. So at this point, the benefits of SEC pride and pride of having a tougher strength of schedule outweigh any nonexistent recruiting advantage that would come with a Georgia loss.

To be fair, Georgia winning isn’t going to move the needle that much for Rocky Top, if at all. As a result, this is another game ranked really low on our list. But it’s still on here, albeit ever so slightly, and selling the idea that they faced a ton of elite teams this year could help the Vols’ case to finish in the top 25, even with those two home non-conference losses to open the year.

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