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UPDATED Final Bowl Projections: Tennessee’s destination coming into focus

Gator or Outback... or Music City?

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Vanderbilt v Tennessee Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE

We’ve seen a big shift after Saturday. The Music City Bowl seems to have all the momentum right now with Tennessee, with a potential opponent being the Louisville Cardinals. 247 Sports said this last night, now we get the same from Brett McMurphy this morning.


On Sunday, the guessing games will be done. We’ll find out once and for all where the Tennessee Volunteers are headed this bowl season after a 7-5 season.

Tennessee dropped their first two games to Georgia State and BYU. They eventually fell to 1-4 on the year before winning six of their last seven to salvage the season. With just a day left before the final announcement, Tennessee’s options have become clear.

According to most projections, Tennessee will be heading to Florida, narrowing the likely destinations to just two — the Gator or the Outback. Around the web, just about every publication has zeroed in on those two options.

Final Bowl Projections

ESPN: Gator vs. Wisconsin

ESPN: Outback vs. Minnesota

The Athletic: Gator vs. Indiana

Sports Illustrated: Gator vs. Iowa

247Sports: Outback vs. Wisconsin

Athlon Sports: Gator vs. Indiana

Banner Society: Gator vs. Indiana

Obviously, the Outback Bowl would offer a greater challenge for Tennessee. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin have spent a good part of the year inside of the top 15 for a reason. Their size at the line of scrimmage would be an interesting matchup for the Volunteers.

Of course, Tennessee could also play either in the Gator Bowl, depending on how things fall. But if the Vols end up in Jacksonville, there’s a clear favorite for an opponent in Indiana. The Hoosiers will also return to a bowl for the first time since the 2016 season after going 8-4.

The New Year’s Six Bowl matchups will be revealed at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The rest of the matchups should be revealed shortly after, but will probably leak before then. We’ll be here reacting to the news on Sunday afternoon.