MIAMI – Tennessee certainly wanted to be a part of the four-team College Football Playoff field this season, but it didn't happen. But although the Vols' playoff hopes came to an end with their unprecedented loss at South Carolina in November, Josh Heupel's club still earned an invite to a prestigious postseason bowl game.
Ranked No. 6 in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 of the year, Tennessee – which sports a 10-2 record – will take on No. 7 Clemson (11-2) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
It's not the bowl game that the Vols originally pictured themselves playing in, but the team is definitely excited about the opportunity now.
"The hospitality for our program has been absolutely fantastic," Heupel said Thursday morning while meeting with reporters at the Le Meridien Dania Beach Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "Before we got down here, having played in it and coached in it before, I was able to relay to our players what it's all about. We're certainly looking forward to the football game."
As for Heupel, he is no stranger to the Orange Bowl.
While playing quarterback – and later coaching – at Oklahoma, Heupel was a part of two different Orange Bowl appearances with the Sooners. In 2001, he was the starter in a 13-2 national championship win over Florida State and then was a graduate assistant coach when the team played for another title in the 2005 Orange Bowl.
"My experience down here – great memories," Heupel said. "When I think back to my days at Oklahoma, some of the things that we accomplished, your mind obviously comes right here to this stadium and this bowl game."
Tennessee wouldn't be playing on Friday in Miami if it had beaten South Carolina on that November night in Columbia. The Vols would instead be gearing up for a College Football Playoff semifinal game on New Year's Eve.
However, the 63-38 lopsided defeat to the Gamecocks forced Tennessee to reflect and reset before finishing the regular season on a high note with a big win at Vanderbilt. Now, the Vols are wanting to cap the year in a strong fashion at the Orange Bowl.
"We had to reset the following week," Heupel said of the South Carolina loss. "The only reason we've gotten to this point (at the Orange Bowl) – these players have worked for it. Was there disappointment? Absolutely. You could feel it in the building. They worked for it. ... That's their connection to one another."
After winning 10 games in the regular season, which was highlighted by an 8-0 start and eventual No. 1 ranking, Tennessee has one final goal it wants to accomplish to close 2022: Taking the Orange Bowl trophy back to Knoxville.
"This is an important game for our football team," Heupel said. "This is an opportunity to leave a legacy at Tennessee. It's another opportunity for kids across the country to see the brand of football that you play.
"Over the course of the season, we've been able to show the proof of what this program is becoming."
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