With five wins, Tennessee is looking good for a bowl bid

After losing to Georgia State and BYU to start the season, Tennessee has clawed its way back to .500 on the season. The Volunteers sit at 5-5 after a comeback win over Kentucky on Saturday night. It was their third SEC win of the season, adding to the momentum gained with wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Tennessee finishes with an open date, then a trip to Missouri and a home game against Vanderbilt. A chance to finish at 7-5 — where most everyone thought they would be before this season started — is pretty remarkable.

Jeremy Pruitt’s team was in this exact position a year ago, but ran out of gas and got blown out in the final two games. This year feels different though. The wheels have come off for Missouri in recent weeks, while Vanderbilt has struggled all season.

Still, Tennessee has to finish.

So where might the Volunteers go if they do finish this season off?

• ESPN’s latest projection points south to Jacksonville. Tennessee is projected to go to the Gator Bowl, playing either Iowa or Illinois.
• 247 Sports also points to the Gator Bowl for Tennessee, with the opponent being Michigan.
• Sporting News changed things up, sending the Volunteers west to the Liberty Bowl. They project the Texas Longhorns to be the opponent.
• CBS Sports also projected Tennessee to the Liberty Bowl, with TCU being the opponent.

It’s nice to be talking about a bowl bid again, isn’t it? Where do you want the Vols to land?