With the final nail in the coffin delivered by Vanderbilt over the weekend, the Volunteers 2025 regular season is now over. Despite failing to qualify for the College Football Playoff, the Vols are bowl bound. Below are the possible games and locations for Tennessee’s bookend to a forgetful season.

While Tennessee gets the opportunity to submit bids for their desired bowl game destinations, the final decision will be made by the South Eastern Conference office after a match-making process.

Nashville makes the most sense of the bowl games likely to be offered to the Volunteers. A game in Music City would undoubtedly turn into an orange fest. Think about it-- what Vols fan in the state of Tennessee wouldn't want to spend a weekend cheering on their boys then rolling to Broadway for the after party. This destination would also save the team on travel expenses required to go out-of-state for a bowl game. Added motivation for this game could be for Tennessee to break even on their record in the Music City Bowl. The Vols are 1-2 in this game with losses to North Carolina (2010) and Purdue (2021) and a lone win over Nebraska in 2016. 

Everyone wants to play their bowl game somewhere warm. There’s a reason why the NFL historically hosted their Pro Bowl game in Hawaii. Tropical weather is ideal for end-of-season football. Luckily for Tennessee, playing a game in the Sunshine State could be in the cards this bowl season. Because of their lopsided defeat to Vanderbilt, the Volunteers will miss out on high-level games like the Citrus or ReliaQuest bowls. This leaves them with games like the Gator Bowl. This Jacksonville contest will still feature tough competition, with the Vols as a likely suitor. Tennessee has played in six Gator Bowls, holding a 4-2 record. The first Volunteers Gator Bowl dates back to 1957 where Tennessee beat Texas A&M 3-0.

The Duke's Mayo Bowl is probably the least likely of these three locations but is still a possibility for the Volunteers final game of the season. While Charlotte doesn't draw the same attention as a Nashville or Jacksonville bowl game, the name notoriety of the Mayo Bowl is what makes this game special. In the event that fewer SEC teams make the College Football Playoff than expected, the Volunteers could be bumped down to this game. With Texas and Vanderbilt both on the playoff bubble, there is an increasingly high likelihood that this bump will occur. But if Tennessee is given the opportunity to choose between the Music City Bowl, the Gator Bowl and the Mayo Bowl, I can't see them opting for the Mayo slate. Not only would this delay the start of Tennessee's offseason, but I'm sure Josh Heupel would prefer to stay as far away from a mayonnaise bath as possible.