Tennessee Football's new bowl projections entering Week 14

Tennessee Football’s two most popular postseason picks are the ReliaQuest Bowl and Gators Bowl, according to updated bowl projections entering Week 14. The Vols finish the regular-season schedule against Vanderbilt on Senior Day on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

No. 18 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) and No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2) are scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN, with the Vols still chasing a 10-win season and the Commodores looking for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The playoff hopes for the Vols died with the 33-27 home loss to No. 8 Oklahoma on November 1. Now the possibilities for bowl season are the ReliaQuest Bowl, Gator Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl and Music City Bowl, among others.

On3’s Brett McMurphy: Tennessee vs. Iowa in ReliaQuest Bowl

On3’s Brett McMurphy and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach have Tennessee in Tampa for the ReliaQuest Bowl, with both projections matching the Vols up against Iowa. Tennessee beat Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl to end the 2023 season.

Both CBS Sports and Athlon have Tennessee in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, with CBS matching the Vols up against Virginia and Athlon putting Tennessee and Miami together. Tennessee beat Virginia 49-13 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville to start the 2023 season and hasn’t faced Miami since a road win over the Hurricanes in 2003.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has Tennessee in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte against Louisville. The Vols played in Charlotte last season, a win over North Carolina State, and in 2018, a loss to West Virginia. Tennessee is scheduled to face West Virginia in Charlotte again in 2028.

USA Today has Tennessee and Michigan meeting in the Citrus Bowl. The two teams have played just once, with the Vols winning 45-17 in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day 2001.

Bowl Season schedule for ReliaQuest, Citrus, Gator, Music City and Mayo bowls

The ReliaQuest Bowl is a Noon Eastern Time start on January 31 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Citrus Bowl follows with a 3 p.m. ET start on New Year’s Eve at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. 

The Music City Bowl is scheduled for December 30 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and the Duke’s May Bowl is January 2 at 8 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. 

Tennessee has won two bowl games during the Josh Heupel era, beating Iowa in the Citrus Bowl and Clemson in the Orange Bowl to cap an 11-2 season in 2022. The Vols lost to Purdue in the Music City Bowl in 2021, Heupel’s first season, and lost at Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff last season.