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
8 of 26
Next
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

19. Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl

SMU Mustangs over Florida Atlantic Owls

Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET; FAU Football Stadium; Boca Raton, Fla.; ABC

Both teams are outside of the top 25 while receiving more votes than Tennessee football in both polls. The good news for that is that this is one game in which the loser is almost certainly to drop below Rocky Top provided they beat the Indiana Hoosiers. So this is our first game that deals with the opportunity for the Vols to move up.

However, as a 10-2 American Athletic Conference team, the SMU Mustangs are two and one spots out of the top 25. So the Florida Atlantic Owls winning could just keep both programs ahead of the Vols, regardless of what they end up doing. SMU beating Florida Atlantic, though, despite being Conference USA Champions, would knock them below the Vols for sure.

With Lane Kiffin gone from the 10-3 team and Glenn Spencer serving as interim head coach, there are certainly a lot of things working against this team. And SMU does have better talent, which is why they are three-point favorites anyway. But the game is being played in Boca Raton, so it’s like a home matchup for the Owls.

That means there’s no guarantee what happens here, and if Florida Atlantic wins, there’s no guarantee SMU drops below the Vols. They will still be 10-3, and this would basically be a road loss for them. So Florida Atlantic is the team UT fans need to see lose to make sure they leapfrog somebody in this game.

Home/Vols Football