Sporting News projects Gator Bowl for Tennessee football in 2020
The Tennessee football Volunteers may return to Jacksonville for the 2020 postseason.
It’s not uncommon for Tennessee football to go to the same bowl game two years in a row. The Vols did it in 1995-1996, 2002-2003 and 2007-2008. Coming off an 8-5 finish in Jeremy Pruitt’s second season, one national magazine is projecting Rocky Top to do that this year.
UT finished 8-5 thanks to their 23-22 Gator Bowl win over the Indiana Hoosiers, a game in which they came back from a 22-9 deficit to win. Sporting News now has them heading back to that bowl game in its projections for all 44 bowls this upcoming season.
In this projection, Tennessee football would face the Louisville Cardinals, who also finished 8-5 and won their bowl game this past year. They did it under first-year head coach Scott Satterfield, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Music City Bowl.
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Should the Vols face Louisville, that would be a dangerous game for them. Satterfield nearly upset UT on the road with the Appalachian State Mountaineers when they were in the top 10 in the 2016 season-opener.
Everybody remembers the craziness of that game. Well, Satterfield has a history of making things crazy. He could certainly do it if his team faced off with the Vols this year, and his team would have a lot more momentum behind it given their expectations in what will only be Satterfield’s second year on the job.
Of course, given the way the Vols are hoping their program develops under Pruitt, repeating a Gator Bowl appearance may seem a bit disappointing. However, we should also note that their schedule is much tougher this year. UT plays four top 10-caliber teams, at least with what is expected in the preseason. They only played three last year.
On top of that, some of the Vols’ other tough opponents, including the South Carolina Gamecocks, are on the road this year. Getting the Alabama Crimson Tide at home means they are effectively wasting a home game and a potential win unless people think they will pull off the upset.
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Simply put, this is a much tougher road for Rocky Top, which is why matching last year’s performance would actually show marked improvement. If they can go beyond that and flirt with a top 25 finish, Pruitt will have worked wonders. That will look even better with Tennessee football recruiting class, currently ranked No. 2 across the board, coming in next year.