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Tennessee Football: Ranking All the Vols' Bowl Wins vs Big Ten Opponents in School History
Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman LaTroy Lewis (4) celebrates after their 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee football has played a lot of Big Ten teams in recent bowl games. Here is a ranking of all of their bowl wins against teams from the conference.
Tennessee football will play its 14th bowl game against a Big Ten team in its history when facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Music City Bowl.
Ironically, it never faced an opponent from that conference in a bowl until 1979.
But since then, the Vols have faced teams from there in a variety of bowls. They include the Outback Bowl, Citrus Bowl, TaxSlayer Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Peach Bowl, and even the now-defunct Garden State Bowl and Bluebonnet Bowl.
Not only do the Vols have a tradition of playing Big Ten teams in the modern era of college football, though. They also have a great tradition of beating Big Ten teams.
In its 12 games against teams from the conference, Tennessee has a 9-4 record.
As we get set to look at the Vols’ history against the Big Ten in bowl games, we will rank all of those wins. They will be based on the magnitude of the win in the scope of the program, the excitement of the game, and the quality of the opponent.
This will only include teams that were in the Big Ten when Tennessee played them. So all of their bowl games against the Maryland Terrapins, their previous two against Nebraska, and even one against the Penn State Nittany Lions don’t count.
So here is the ranking of all nine Vols bowl wins against Big Ten opponents.
Sep 20, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; General view of the Liberty Bowl before the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
9. 1986 Liberty Bowl vs Minnesota Golden Gophers
Final Score: Tennessee 21 Minnesota 14
This was actually a thrilling victory but slightly bittersweet. Tennessee football entered the season coming off an SEC Championship, Top 5 finish, and Sugar Bowl victory with high expectations.
But a preseason Top 10 ranking ended with a 6-5 record, and Johnny Majors’s team backed into a bowl game.
Heading to Memphis, they faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Liberty Bowl. That team was also 6-5.
So although there wasn’t much to play for, one team wanted to finish the year with a winning record.
The disappointment of the season combined with the limited magnitude of the win are why this is the least exciting win.
However, at least the Vols gave fans a good game.
Tennessee took a 14-3 lead into halftime against the Golden Gophers, but they scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to make it 14-11 and then tied it with a field goal later in the third.
However, the Vols made it exciting in the fourth by mounting a solid touchdown drive to take a 21-14 lead early in the fourth behind Jeff Francis at quarterback.
Being able to defeat a Big Ten team in front of basically a home audience was exciting, and doing it in the fourth quarter made for a solid game.
From there, the defense did its job to preserve the victory. Tennessee finished the season 7-5 after that, and while it wasn’t as exciting as 1985, it at least set the stage for a solid future.
Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones admires the MVP trophy of quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) after their 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
8. 2015 Taxslayer Bowl (2014 Season) vs Iowa Hawkeyes
Final Score: Tennessee 45 Iowa 28
This game was also against a very mediocre opponent, meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, and was only to finish the season above .500.
However, it also meant a lot more because of the state of the Tennessee football program. At the time, the Vols had not reached a bowl game in four years. They hadn’t finished a season with a winning record in five years.
And they hadn’t actually won a bowl game in seven years.
Butch Jones was also in his second year and barely got Tennessee to a bowl at 6-6. The way they got to the bowl game was also crazy. The Vols were 3-5 and looked dead in the water before inserting Joshua Dobbs into the starting lineup, and he led the Vols in an epic comeback over the South Carolina Gamecocks, finishing the year 3-1 to get to 6-6.
Then came the bowl game, and everything came together for the Vols.
They flat-out dominated the Iowa Hawkeyes from start to finish to win 45-28. That win meant so much for the momentum of the program under Jones that it was a huge deal.
It looked even better the next year when the Hawkeyes went undefeated in the regular season before barely losing to the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten Championship.
However, let’s move to some bowl wins that were against ranked teams and occurred while the Vols were ranked.
Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fan cheer during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats in the 2016 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 45-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
7. 2008 Outback Bowl (2007 Season) vs Wisconsin Badgers
Final Score: Tennessee 21 Wisconsin 17
There were some negatives about this game. The Vols were coming off of a sickening loss to the LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship, and they had a senior quarterback. As a result, a consolation bowl game was not the most exciting thing in the world.
However, Tennessee was also returning to the scene of the infamous bowl loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions from a year before. And the SEC/Big Ten speed vs power talk was at an all-time high during this period.
So the Vols marched into Tampa set to face a very good Wisconsin team in the Outback Bowl that came close to winning the Big Ten.
And in a solid, physical football game that went back and forth, they came away with the win.
In his final performance, Erik Ainge threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns, and the Vols jumped out to a 21-7 first-half lead.
However, Wisconsin fought back and held Tennessee scoreless in the second half.
Late in the game, still up 21-17, Tennessee’s defense came through. The Vols stopped Wisconsin on a turnover on downs, and after the Badgers punted the ball, Antonio Wardlow sealed the game with the interception.
The win secured a 10-win season for Tennessee football and a Top 12 finish. It’s the last time they have achieved either of those outcomes.
Just the next year, the wheels would come off of the program, and the downward spiral began.
Oct 10, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Tennessee
6. 1981 Garden State Bowl vs Wisconsin Badgers
Final Score: Tennessee 28 Wisconsin 21
This was another thrilling bowl game at the original Giants stadium that the Vols played against Wisconsin. But in 1981, it meant something totally different.
Going into the game, Tennessee had not yet won a bowl under Johnny Majors, and they hadn’t yet won more than seven games.
Heck, they hadn’t done either of those things since 1974, so the drought was about what it is now.
At 7-4, they were set to face a Wisconsin Badgers team that had also gone 7-4 in the Big Ten. This was just their fourth bowl appearance and their first non-Rose Bowl appearance.
And just like the Outback Bowl in 2007, Tennessee jumped out to an early 21-7 lead. That was thanks to two Fuad Reveiz field goals, a kickoff return touchdown by Willie Gault, and a touchdown reception by Anthony Hancock.
These are all legends in Vol lore.
Wisconsin cut it to 21-14 in the fourth, but the Vols responded with a drive of their own capped off by a six-yard Steve Alatorre touchdown run.
The Badgers again cut it to a touchdown with another score, but that was all they could get. Again, just like in 2007, the Vols held on 28-21.
This win was more elating because of the things we mentioned at the start, and it signaled a bright future under Majors. However, the program was still four years away from the level it wanted to be at.
5. 2016 Outback Bowl (2015 Season) vs Northwestern Wildcats
Final Score: Tennessee 45 Northwestern 6
After blowing out a Big Ten team in their first bowl game ever under Butch Jones, Tennessee football delivered an encore the next year.
A 2015 season that started off slow saw the Vols eventually finish exactly where people expected them to: at 8-4 and second in the SEC East. However, to fully meet expectations, they had to get back in the Top 25 and have their first finish their since the end of the 2007 season.
That would require a win against a 10-2 Northwestern team that made a habit out of winning ugly games all season long.
So on New Year’s Day, the Vols got set to face the Wildcats.
It was close for maybe a quarter.
But a balanced offense behind Joshua Dobbs, Alvin Kamara, and yes, Jalen Hurd, went for over 400 yards that day, and the defense was just as dominant.
Northwestern only got as close as 10-6 after the Vols’ first touchdown. They took a 17-6 lead into halftime and broke it open in the second half.
The Vols forced four interceptions on defense to set up lots of easy scores, and the final one turned into a 100-yard return by Evan Berry.
That allowed the game to end in a Tennessee football blowout, and they had broken through at that point. Of course, it’s bittersweet looking back since they didn’t take the next step in 2016.
But at least the Vols got over a few major hurdles in 2015 with this win.
Dec 31, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of the 2015 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl logo prior to the game between the Houston Cougars and the Florida State Seminoles at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
4. 1987 Peach Bowl vs Indiana Hoosiers
Final Score: Tennessee 27 Indiana 22
As far as an actual game goes, this may have been the most exciting one of any of them that Tennessee played against a Big Ten opponent in a bowl game.
That’s why it’s so high on this list of Tennessee football bowl wins against the conference.
Johnny Majors’s team was two years removed from its epic SEC Championship season and one year removed from its disappointing collapse in 1986.
However, 1987 also had a disappointing start, as the Vols suffered a tie against the Auburn Tigers, a blowout loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide, and a close fluke loss at home to the Boston College Eagles.
If they had Auburn and Boston College back, they would have been repeat SEC Champs and a national title contender.
Anyway, they still finished the year on a four-game winning streak to get to 8-1-2, and they faced an Indiana team that had gone 8-3 in the regular season.
Heading to face each other in the Peach Bowl, this one was a dandy.
The Vols relied on the legs of Reggie Cobb to win the game and jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead. However, Indiana fought back.
With Tennessee leading 21-10 at halftime, the Hoosiers scored a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters, missing on both two-point conversions, to take a 22-21 lead.
But then the Vols mounted a long drive and capped it off with a nine-yard Cobb touchdown run inside two minutes to go in the game. It was a thrilling finish to the season and the program’s second Top 25 finish in three seasons under Majors.
They were just one step away from a period of major sustained success after that year, only needing to rebuild in 1988.
Jan 1, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; The newly renovated Florida Citrus Bowl during the 2015 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Missouri wins 33-17 over Minnesota. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
3. 1997 Citrus Bowl (1996 Season) vs Northwestern Wildcats
Final Score: Tennessee 48 Northwestern 28
This was an even better win over the Northwestern Wildcats than the one the Vols enjoyed at the end of 2015. But it came as a bittersweet ending.
Tennessee football fans were expecting a national championship this year. In 1995, they had gone 11-1 and returned everybody, including all-world quarterback Peyton Manning. But they lost again to the Florida Gators that year, and later in the season they lost a shocker to the Memphis Tigers.
This was a team that was far better than 9-2 and should have been good enough to play for any title, but they gave the ammo Steve Spurrier needed to say ‘You can’t spell Citrus without UT’ by finishing second in the SEC East once again.
In the process, they got to face the Big Ten co-champions, the 9-3 Northwestern Wildcats.
Peyton Manning decided to put on a sensational performance. He set a new bowl game record at the time with 408 passing yards, scored a rushing touchdown on a bootleg, and made sure to hit his favorite target, Joey Kent, as much as possible since it was his final game.
In the process, the Vols won 48-28. Among all of these games, this is the only time the Tennessee beat the champs of the conference.
Okay, so they were champions by default since they didn’t have to play the Ohio State Buckeyes that year. But it still counts for something.
And it made for a decent ending to a disappointing year. But if you want to talk bittersweet, the next one is even worse.
Jan 1, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; A view of Michigan Wolverines megaphones during the 2016 Citrus Bowl against the Florida Gators at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
2. 2002 Citrus Bowl (2001 Season) vs Michigan Wolverines
Final Score: Tennessee 45 Michigan 17
Now this was a game that made for a bittersweet ending to a season. The Vols headed into this Citrus Bowl having screwed up the opportunity of a lifetime.
Less than a month earlier, they were No. 2 in the country and set to play the Miami Hurricane for the national championship after beating the Florida Gators in The Swamp to finish the regular season 10-1.
But a sickening upset loss to a way less talented LSU Tigers team in the SEC Championship coached by an unknown guy named Nick Saban ruined those chances. They shocked the Vols and forced them to settle for the Citrus Bowl.
This was a screw job at the same time because a 10-2 Tennessee team was snubbed for a BCS Bowl in favor of a 9-2 Florida team that lost to the Vols.
However, rather than roll over and die, this Tennessee football team decided to unleash all of its anger in the Citrus Bowl.
The Vols and Michigan Wolverines had never faced each other. And Tennessee made it a memorable first match-up. They dominated Michigan from start to finish in a blowout that felt as bittersweet as it could get.
The dominance was beautiful. Casey Clausen threw for 393 yards and hit Jason Witten on a deep route in a memorable play where he outran the entire Michigan secondary. Tennessee finished the game with a 45-17 blowout win and finished the year 11-2 and ranked No. 4 in the country.
It was the last Top 5 or Top 10 finish and the last 11-win season the Vols have had.
While this season could have been so much more, the unleashing of frustration felt great for all of Vol Nation at this time.
Apr 3, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; A view of the stadium before a soccer match between the Orlando City FC and the Portland Timbers at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
1. 1996 Citrus Bowl (1995 Season) vs Ohio State Buckeyes
Final Score: Tennessee 20 Ohio State 14
Of all the wins against Big Ten teams Tennessee football has enjoyed in bowl games, this one was the most exciting.
It featured two teams who each had one loss and would have won their conference had they not both lost to their arch-rival. In Ohio State’s case, it was the Michigan Wolverines, and in Tennessee’s case, it was the Florida Gators.
However, with a sophomore quarterback, the Vols were looking at a much brighter future. They were set to face a Buckeyes team led by Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George at running back.
People considered this a national title-caliber Ohio State team that just suffered a fluke at the end of the year, so most people thought they would beat the Vols.
And they jumped out to the early lead with a touchdown. Later in the first half, they could have made it a two-score game, but the Vols swung the momentum back in their favor by stuffing the Heisman Trophy winner on a fourth and goal from the one.
After that, Tennessee took control. Jay Graham took a handoff up the middle 70 yards for a touchdown to tie it up.
Then Manning hit Joey Kent for a 47-yard touchdown pass to take a 14-7 lead. Ohio State tied it up in the fourth, but Jeff Hall nailed two field goals late to give the Vols a 20-14 lead.
The Buckeyes fumbled on their final drive, and Tennessee was able to run out the clock to win 20-14.
With this win, they finished 11-1 for the first time since 1989, and they also finished ranked No. 3 in the country, their highest ranking since the Doug Dickey era in the 1960s.
And they had tons of people coming back, so it set the stage as the start of one of the most epic four-year runs in school history.
Everything about this win was great at the time, and that’s why it’s No. 1 on this list.
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