Bowl projections: New Year's Six game still in play for Tennessee
Tennessee's chances of making the College Football Playoff vanished late Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium.
A surprising 63-38 loss to South Carolina knocked the Vols out of contention for good and while the defeat will serve as an unpleasant memory from an otherwise memorable season, Tennessee still has a shot at playing in a premier bowl game.
A few New Year's Six bowl destinations are on the table as the Vols get set to end the regular season against Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday (SEC Network).
Here is a look at the latest projections from multiple outlets.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Location: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Date/time: Jan. 2, 2023 at 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Currently the most popular pick for Tennessee, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas takes two at-large teams – usually a Group of Five conference champion and the highest-ranked Power Five team available. The Vols could potentially meet former SEC foe Tulane in this game should the Green Wave win the American Athletic Conference.
CBS Sports: Tennessee vs. Cincinnati
Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Tennessee vs. Tulane
Athlon: Tennessee vs. Cincinnati
Action Network: Tennessee vs. Tulane
Pro Football Network: Tennessee vs. Coastal Carolina
Capital One Orange Bowl
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Date/time: Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET or 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Tennessee could land in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the first time since 2000 depending on how the final College Football Playoff rankings on Dec. 4 shake out. The bowl has an ACC vs. Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame tie-in which opens the door for the Vols if they finished ranked ahead of LSU and Alabama goes to the Sugar Bowl.
Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Tennessee vs. Clemson
College Football News: Tennessee vs. North Carolina
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Date/time: Jan. 2, 2023 at 12 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
This is the one non-New Year's Six bowl that Tennessee could play in according to some projections. The game has tie-ins with the ACC, Big Ten and SEC and has featured an SEC and Big Ten team 28 of the last 30 years. The Vols last played in the Citrus Bowl in 2002.
USA TODAY: Tennessee vs. Penn State
Sports Illustrated: Tennessee vs Iowa
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