Tennessee Bowl Projections: Vols on the Outside of Playoff Picture, Trendy Pick for Florida Bowl

Tennessee is on the outside of most playoff projections heading into Week 8 of the college football season. The Vols’ loss to Arkansas two weeks ago put Tennessee behind the eight ball on the playoff picture but there are still opportunities on the table to climb back in – starting this weekend.

Tennessee hosts Alabama this Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium and while it is a big rivalry game, it’s also a big game between two teams with one loss and playoff aspirations ahead. Tennessee still has to play Georgia after the Alabama game while the Tide still have Missouri, LSU, and Oklahoma.

As CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm stated this week, it’s unlikely that a 9-3 team will make the playoffs, highlighting the importance of this weekend’s rivalry game.

As far as the non-playoff projections, though, Tennessee has a bit of a trend toward the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, FL, on New Year’s Eve. The Vols also racked up projections for the Texas Bowl in Houston, the Music City Bowl in Nashville, and the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville.

More from RTI: What Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer Said About Tennessee Ahead Of First Trip To Knoxville

Here’s a look at some of the expert bowl projections from around the sports media landscape as teams across the country prepare for Week 8 action this weekend:

(Note: All times Eastern)

ESPN

Kyle Bonagura: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, FL – Jan. 2, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

• Opponent: Louisville

Mark Schlabach: ReliaQuest Bowl – Tampa, FL – Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN

• Opponent: Indiana
• Note: Schlabach says he considered Tennessee for the final at-large spot in the playoffs but ended up going with Boise State. Schlabach also noted Tennessee’s ongoing offensive issues as a concern.

CBS Sports

Jerry Palm: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, FL – Jan. 2, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

• Opponent: SMU

Sports Illustrated

Patrick Andres: College Football Playoffs – Columbus, OH – Dec. 21, ABC/ESPN or TNT

• No. 11 Tennessee vs No. 6 Ohio State

247 Sports

Brad Crawford: Texas Bowl – Houston, TX – Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

• Opponent: Kansas State

Bleacher Report

David Kenyon: ReliaQuest Bowl – Tampa, FL – Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN

• Opponent: Michigan

Yahoo! Sports/USA Today

Erick Smith: Music City Bowl – Nashville, TN – Dec. 30, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

• Opponent: Michigan

Action Network

Brett McMurphy: ReliaQuest Bowl – Tampa, FL – Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN

• Opponent: Nebraska