The difference in a 9-4 record and an 8-5 one might seem ever so slight. But in Tennessee football’s case, the difference is significant.
If Tennessee beats Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, its 9-4 record would give third-year coach Josh Heupel 20 wins in the past two seasons and 27 in the past three. That denotes progress for a program that was mediocre for so long under five different coaches from 2008 through 2020. A bowl victory also would give the Vols back-to-back top-20 finishes.
But if Tennessee would finish 8-5, it would lapse into Jeremy Pruitt land. Pruitt was fired after a 3-7 season in 2020. Nonetheless, in 2019, he somehow managed to finish 8-5.
A goal of any Vols football coach should be: Avoid being mentioned in the same sentence with Pruitt.
Citrus Bowl
Tennessee 27, Iowa 16: The Vols defense started fast but faded down the stretch when the schedule toughened. But it should regain its early-season form against the worst offense in FBS.
Texas Bowl
Oklahoma State 27, Texas A&M 23: Coaches and players are coming and going so fast at Texas A&M, I have no idea who will show up for kickoff. But I expect running back Ollie Gordon to show up big for the Cowboys.
The Doak Walker Award winner leads the country in rushing yardage and has totaled 1,940 yards rushing and receiving.
Gator Bowl
Clemson 24, Kentucky 17: I’m looking forward to the postgame press conference more than the game itself in hopes of hearing Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops continue to bemoan how other programs are “tampering” with their rosters.
The best bowl news for Kentucky: Running back Ray Davis isn’t opting out. I’m not surprised. He obviously loves college, or should I say “colleges.” He has led three different schools – Temple, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky – in rushing.
Cotton Bowl
Missouri 23, Ohio State 20: In…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sec-predictions-why-citrus-bowl-100804772.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2023-12-27 10:08:04
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