A closer look at bowl projections from ESPN for the opponents on Tennessee Football's schedule this season.
A closer look at ESPN’s bowl projections (and College Football Playoff predictions) from KyleBonagura and MarkSchlabach for the teams on Tennessee Football’sschedule this season:
Georgia: College Football Playoff semifinals
Tennessee vs. Georgia | September 13 | Kickoff Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | TV: ABC
Bonagura has Georgia as a No. 5 seed in his College Football Playoff bracket, hosting No. 12 Boise State in Athens, then beating No. 4 Clemson in the Orange Bowl before losing to No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.
Schlabach has Georgia as No. 4 seed in the 12-team playoff, but with a similar outcome as Bonaguara. He has Georgia beating No. 5 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl before losing to No. 1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.
Alabama: College Football Playoff quarterfinals
Tennessee at Alabama | October 18 | Kickoff Time: Flex Window | TV: TBD
Bonagura has Alabama as the No. 7 seed in the College Football Playoff, beating No. 10 Arizona State in Tuscaloosa in the first round, then seeing its season end against Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Schlabach has the same matchup with different seeding in the first round, with No. 6 Alabama hosting No. 11 Arizona State. He also has the Crimson Tide losing to Penn State, this time a No. 3 seed, in the Rose Bowl.
Oklahoma: Liberty Bowl, Music City Bowl
Tennessee vs. Oklahoma | November 1 | Kickoff Time: Flex Window | TV: TBD
Bonagura has Oklahoma facing Minnesota in the Liberty Bowl while Schabach has the Sooners going to the Liberty Bowl for an old Big 12 matchup against Baylor. Tennessee welcomed Oklahoma to the SEC with a 25-15 win in Norman last season, as the Sooners’ first year in the conference ended with a 6-7 overall record, including a 2-6 SEC record.
Florida: Liberty Bowl, Mayo Bowl
Tennessee at Florida | November 22 | Kickoff Time: Flex Window | TV: TBD
Bonagura projects Florida to the Liberty Bowl against Kansas, while Schlabach has the Gators facing Duke in the Mayo Bowl. The Tennessee-Florida game shifts to the second to last Saturday of the season for the Vols, with Tennessee going to Gainesville in November for the first time in program history. The 2020 game was played on December 5 in Knoxville in the COVID-altered season and the 2001 game was moved to December 1 after the terrorist attacks on September 11 postponed the originally scheduled September meeting.
Arkansas: Birmingham Bowl
Tennessee vs. Arkansas | October 11 | Kickoff Time: Flex Window | TV: TBD
Bonagura has Arkansas facing Tulane in the Birmingham Bowl. Schlabach does not project the Razorbacks to be a bowl team this season. Arkansas beat Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl last season, finishing a 7-6 year. The Razorbacks are making the trip to Tennessee for the first time since 2015.
Vanderbilt: Gasparilla Bowl
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt | November 29 | Kickoff Time: Afternoon Window | TV: TBD
Schlabach has Vanderbilt in the Gasparilla Bowl, facing North Carolina in Tamp, while Bonagura does not have Vandy as a bowl team this season. The Commodores beat Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl last season to finish 7-6. Tennessee ends the regular-season schedule on November 29 with Senior Day against Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium.
Category: General Sports
