Latest Bowl Projection Pits Vols Against Intriguing Opponent
College football is nearing playoff season. The College Football Playoff Top 25 will debut next Tuesday on November 2, and bowl projections are entering the realm of hot topics for college football teams, especially with Tennessee's latest projection.
The Vols are projected to take on the Clemson Tigers in the Duke's Mayonnaise Bowl following the 2021 season, according to CBS Sports.
Yes, you read that right. (See tweet below):
Tennessee. Clemson. The gradual rise of one program from a 3-7 season with an NCAA investigation to a team that gave the Alabama Crimson Tide fits for 47 minutes versus a program that has seen an abrupt, disastrous plunge into the depths of mediocrity of college football in another.
If this bowl projection comes to fruition following the season, it would most likely mean Clemson loses at least one more game, but that seems likely with a game against the unbeaten Wake Forest in the near future, and a trip to Louisville cannot be considered a lock either.
It would also mean Tennessee closes out the season as expected, losing to Georgia, beating both South Alabama and Vanderbilt and either winning or losing close to Kentucky.
Despite the fact that Clemson and Tennessee share similar color schemes, it has been a tale of polar opposite seasons for the two programs, so let's dig in.
Clemson Tigers (4-3, 3-2 ACC)
Head coach Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers came into 2021 off their sixth straight College Football Playoff experience, having made four National Championship appearances in those six years with two wins. Although star quarterback and 2021 NFL Draft no. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, star running back Travis Etienne and some other offensive and defensive pieces were lost to the NFL, Clemson was still projected to be a top tier college football team this year, having been ranked in the top three of the AP Preseason Poll's Top 25.
However, the saying 'o, how the mighty have fallen' could not apply more to this year's Clemson Tigers.
Clemson has dropped three games on the year to Georgia, NC State and Pitt, losing to Pitt by ten points in Week 8. The Tigers have not lost three games in a season since 2014 when Deshaun Watson was a freshman, and the Pitt loss was the first double-digit defeat to an ACC opponent since 2014's 28-6 loss to Georgia Tech. To make matters worse against Pitt, Dabo Swinney made the decision to bench five-star sophomore quarterback DJ Uiagalelei for redshirt sophomore Taisun Phommachanh, leaving question marks at the position heading into the Florida State game.
The Tigers' other two losses to Georgia and NC State had their own storylines to give Clemson some leeway, as Georgia is without a doubt the number one team in the country, and the Week 4 loss in Raleigh saw many Tigers go down due to injury, such as defensive playmakers James Skalski and Bryan Bresee.
However, the Pitt loss proves Clemson’s lack of explosiveness and puts them out of contention for an ACC title.
Clemson will host Florida State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in a must-win game to avoid going .500 for the second time this year, and the third time since Week 4 of 2014.
Tennessee (4-4, 2-3 SEC)
After a 3-7 season last year, a major disappointment under Jeremy Pruitt in his third, and ultimately final, year on Rocky Top, UT found themselves in the thick of an NCAA investigation. With the obvious negative effect that had on the amount of players entering the transfer portal and recruiting, along with the fact that Tennessee had a brand new head coach, the Vols' expectations for 2021 were low.
Fast forward to Week 8, however, and the Vols just took no. 10 Ole Miss down to the wire in Week 7 and played a highly competitive game against Alabama for 47 minutes in Week 8, generating some 'Heup' for the program's future under Josh Heupel.
The Similarity
The only similarity between Clemson and Tennessee this season is the fact that they have each played against Heisman candidate Kenny Pickett's Pittsburgh Panthers. Tennessee lost to Pitt in Week 2 in the inaugural 'Johnny Majors Classic' in a tight 41-34 matchup, whereas Clemson lost to Pitt 27-17 in a game that was never close after Uiagalelei's pick six early in the second half. (See below)
Granted, Tennessee played Pitt early on in the year when the Panthers' offense was still getting their feet wet with the season, but so was Tennessee. In fact, the Pittsburgh game was arguably the turning point for the Vols, as Hendon Hooker replaced an injured Joe Milton right before halftime, and Hendo Cinco has been the unquestionable starter ever since.
What's to Come
As mentioned above, unless Clemson wins out, there is a real possibility this bowl projection comes true, which would prove CBS Sports right but ESPN analysts and Yahoo wrong.
It technically is not a lock that both of these teams will even make bowl games either. Clemson could completely fall out of contention, and Tennessee could drop an easy one to either South Alabama or Vanderbilt. While both are highly unlikely, it is worth noting.
A potential battle of the Orange and Whites in the Duke's Mayonnaise Bowl would take place on December 30 in Charlotte, North Carolina at 11:30 a.m. according to CBS Sports.
A list of the past five Duke's Mayonnaise Bowls results and MVPs can be seen below:
Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28 (2020)––MVP: Wisc. QB Jack Sanborn
Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30 (2019)––MVP: Kent. QB Lynn Bowden
Virginia 28, South Carolina 0 (2018)––MVP: UVA WR Olamide Zaccheaus
Wake Forest 55, Texas A&M 52 (2017)––MVP: WF QB John Wolford
No. 18 Virginia Tech 35, Arkansas 24 (2016)––MVP: VA Tech WR Cam Phillips
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