Tennessee football predicted to miss College Football Playoff

Tennessee football has postseason projections as we get closer to the start of the regular season. 247 Sports has predicted the Vols will visit Tampa Bay for bowl season to play in the Reliaquest Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

While this prediction doesn't seem great on the surface, it indicates that Tennessee will have another good season but could just miss out on the College Football Playoff. 

Looking back at past SEC teams that played in the Reliaquest Bowl, 247 Sports expects Tennessee to win eight to ten games this season. If the Vols go 10-2 with its schedule, I'd be very surprised if they're playing in the Reliaquest Bowl instead of the Playoff, but a 9-3 season with a postseason trip to Tampa seems more likely. 

The Vols will face another BigTen team if this is where they play in bowl season. They are predicted to play Iowa, although I'd be surprised if they run back the Citrus Bowl from last season after only one season. 

Tennessee last played in the Reliaquest Bowl nearly a decade ago, in 2015, when a blooming onion was on the line andthe bowl game was sponsored by Outback. The Vols routed Northwestern 45-6 in that 2015 game. 

With the new CFP format, it's essentially Playoff or bust for many teams across the country, including Tennessee. While the Reliaquest Bowl wouldn't be a bad spot for the Vols, assuming they win nine games this year, coaches, players, fans, and recruits expect a Playoff appearance sooner rather than later.