Tennessee football gets bowl projection from outlet despite investigation

We’ve already broken down in multiple ways how a winning record is very much on the table for Tennessee football in its first year under head coach Josh Heupel. However, that doesn’t mean a bowl game is automatic.

Due to the ongoing NCAA investigation into what happened with the program under Jeremy Pruitt, there’s a great chance the Vols receive at least a one-year bowl ban. Nonetheless, one outlet is predicting UT will reach bowl eligibility and won’t have a ban.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports projects Tennessee football will stay in-state and head to Memphis to face the TCU Horned Frogs in the Liberty Bowl this year. A battle of Power Fives Heupel’s first year would be thrilling for the fan base on Rocky Top. Here’s a bit of what Crawford said about the Vols’ chances.

"Tennessee’s schedule is slightly more advantageous than the gauntlet first-year coach Bryan Harsin and Auburn is facing this season, thus the Vols sneak into one of the SEC’s mid-tier bowls here. If Josh Heupel got to seven wins during his first campaign, the folks in Knoxville be throw a party."

The path to those seven wins Crawford mentioned for UT include winning all four non-conference games, the toughest of which is a home matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers, and beating the Vanderbilt Commodores and South Carolina Gamecocks at home. Those are four should-be circled wins with Pitt and S.C. likely wins.

Then it has to include stealing one of three games, either at home against the Ole Miss Rebels or on the road against either the Kentucky Wildcats or Missouri Tigers. Taking all this into account, it’s true that seven wins is possible, and even eight or nine wins is on the table.

Still, even if the Vols get to that point, they have to hope that the NCAA doesn’t come down too hard on them. That is something completely out of their hands if they’re trying to reach a bowl. To be fair, though, taking advantage of this schedule is a good way for Heupel to actually make a great first impression, which could help in recruiting.

This past year, Tennessee football was supposed to go to the Liberty Bowl despite a 3-7 season, but then a COVID outbreak shut that down. Pruitt was then fired, and chaos hit the program. Going there next year, though, would be a great start for Heupel.