#Josh Heupel

Though most college football fans have turned their attention to next season, I want to take one final look back at 2022 to continue my annual tradition of exploring what I got right and wrong - with a heavy emphasis on the last part. I called my preseason ballot the "most perplexing jumble" I've experienced because rosters were so fluid. That was…

Georgia will chase a third consecutive national championship in 2023 as the favorite in the USA TODAY Sports way-too-early Top 25 for next season, ahead of the familiar run of teams that have come to dominate the Bowl Subdivision. The Bulldogs are followed by No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Penn State. After an…

What a season it was for the Tennessee Volunteers football program. The Vols beat Florida, LSU and Alabama, won a New Year's 6 bowl game for the 1st time since January 2005 and finished the season with 11 wins for the 1st time in 21 years. The 2022 season will be remembered by Vols fans for decades to come. But it won't be long before all attention…

The official end to Tennessee football's 2022 season was a sweet one. The Volunteers notched 11 wins with an Orange Bowl victory over the Clemson Tigers, in what clearly qualifies as an upset. Despite missing a Heisman candidate quarterback and their Biletnikoff winning wide receiver, Tennessee went ahead and wrangled the Tigers for a 31-14…

The Clemson Tigers have one of college football's top 25 scoring offenses, averaging 34.7 points per game. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney isn't sure that clip will cut it against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. "If you're playing Tennessee, you better score," Swinney said Wednesday afternoon. "If we don't score, we've got no chance, because these guys…

No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson square off in the first New Year's Six bowl game of the postseason on Friday in the 2022 Orange Bowl. This SEC vs. ACC showdown in Miami provides us with one of the more intriguing matchups as we get into the meat of the Bowl Season schedule with the new year rapidly approaching. The Volunteers lost star…

College football bowl season is one of the most action-packed times of the year and there are five more bowls on the schedule for Friday, including a high-profile matchup between a pair of top-10 teams in the 2022 Orange Bowl. No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson will go head-to-head in a battle between teams who had their College Football Playoff…

The Clemson Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers will both look different from what fans are used to when they meet in Friday's Orange Bowl. Check out below for our top Tennessee-Clemson college football picks based on the best NCAAF odds. The first New Year's Six Bowl takes place Friday night with the Volunteers set to battle the Tigers. Only five…

A best bet for the Orange Bowl, featuring an ACC-SEC battle between two top-10 teams in favored Clemson and Tennessee. Two top-10 squads square off in the 2022 Orange Bowl when No. 6 Tennessee faces No. 7 Clemson. Tennessee brings the No. 1 scoring offense (47.3 ppg) in the nation into the Orange Bowl to face off against the country's No. 18…

The first New Year's Six Bowl game of this postseason headlines the slate on Friday when No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson meet in the Orange Bowl. The Volunteers had eyes on a College Football Playoff berth deep into November, but a blowout loss to South Carolina ended those hopes. The Tigers returned to the top of the ACC thanks to the work of…

The No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) face the ACC champion No. 10 Clemson Tigers (11-2) Friday for the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. Despite another conference title, Clemson had a down-year by its sky-high standards. Tennessee won 10 games for the first time since 2007 under second-year head coach Josh Heupel. But,…

Tennessee football wants revenge for the 2003 Peach Bowl loss to Clemson. The Vols will get their shot at head coach Dabo Swinney and the Tigers in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN. This year's Orange Bowl can be taken quite literally. The No. 6 Tennessee Vols take on No. 7 Clemson in a game both sides have wanted to see…

Two storied teams, No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) and No. 7 Clemson (11-2), will meet for the 20th time during the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Both programs are returnees to the Orange Bowl. Tennessee is set for its fifth appearance in the Orange Bowl, while it will be the seventh for Clemson. The…

For the first time in over 20 years, Tennessee will play in a New Year's Six bowl game. The 10-2 Volunteers were one of the surprises of the season, storming out to an 8-0 start. Josh Heupel's year two team reached the No. 1 ranking in the first version of the College Football Playoff rankings before ultimately falling to Georgia and South Carolina…

By Chris Siers ~ [email protected] While the landscape of college football is in an ever-changing state, between NIL deals, transfer portals, realignment and expansion, one thing that hasn't changed is the fervor surrounding college football bowl games. The bowl season has certainly lost a bit of its luster over the years, with players opting out for…

This is one of the most fitting bowl games ever, as the Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) square off in the Orange Bowl against the Clemson Tigers (11-2). It's two teams that rock orange playing in the Orange Bowl in a battle of Top 10 teams. Just a great storyline, but also an important game for both squads. Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens,…

Two top-10 squads square off in the 2022 Orange Bowl when No. 6 Tennessee faces No. 7 Clemson. Tennessee brings the No. 1 scoring offense (47.3 ppg) in the nation into the Orange Bowl to face off against the country's No. 18 scoring Clemson defense (20.1 ppg). The Volunteers' impressive numbers were thanks in part to the production of…

1. The Future Of Missouri Football: The Mizzou administration provided security for football coach Eli Drinwitz in the form of a contract extension that included a generous raise. Surely these people were smart enough to set aside money to pay Drinkwitz off should they decide to make a coaching change if he can't show true progress in 2023. After…

Nick Carner from Tennessee's SB Nation site Rocky Top Talk stops by to talk about the game from a Vols perspective. Matt Goldin: If you had asked most Vol fans before the season how they would feel about a 10-win season, win over Bama, and an appearance in the Orange Bowl, I'm sure they would be thrilled. However, given how this season has gone,…

No. 6 Tennessee takes on No. 7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Thursday. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and it will be televised on ESPN. Clemson (11-2) won the ACC championship under Dabo Swinney, and the Tigers are back in a New Year's Day Six bowl. The Tigers will have a new…

Clemson vs Tennessee prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Capital One Orange Bowl, Friday, December 30 Date: Friday, December 30 Game Time: 8:00 ET Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL How To Watch: ESPN Record: Clemson (11-2), Tennessee (10-2) - - This would've been so awesome if everyone was in place in a College Football Playoff…

With more than a week until Tennessee and Clemson face off in the Orange Bowl, a bear at Zoo Miami predicted the Volunteers to defeat the Tigers in an adorable video posted to social media. In the clip, a black bear named Obie can be seen sniffing around Tennessee- and Clemson-themed boxes before ultimately selecting the treat hidden behind the…

Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-2 SU, 4-2-1 ATS) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) When: Saturday, October 22, 7 p.m. Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. TV: ESPN Point Spread: MSST+21/ALA -21 (Make MSU+41 or Bama -1 by inserting either into a massive 20 point NCAA football teaser at Wagerweb Sportsbook!) Total: O/U 60.5 It seems a…

Would it surprise you to learn that Butch Jones won more bowl games at Tennessee than Robert Neyland did? It surprised me, and I've spent a fair amount of time over the past four decades studying Vol football lore. The Orange Bowl date with Clemson at the end of the month further enriches a busy history. This will be either Tennessee's 30 bowl…

Clemson Football takes on the Tennessee Volunteers in the Orange Bowl on December 30th. Clemson fans are excited and I am no different. I have already started to ponder this matchup between Top 10 teams. I have approached this game thinking that Clemson would likely have an advantage for a few reasons. I think Clemson's offense responded well to…

It seems fitting that a couple of teams with orange as a principal uniform color will square off in the Orange Bowl. It's also an attractive matchup of programs with long and storied football histories. Friday, Dec 30, 8 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida. ESPN is airing the game. If both teams were at full strength, this would…

A handful of the Football Bowl Subdivision's new head coaches for 2023 look like can't-miss hires right off the bat, including Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Hugh Freeze at Auburn and Matt Rhule at Nebraska. But beware: Three or four years down the road, what seemed like a home run at the introductory press conference can be revealed as a big swing and…

Tennessee's magical 2022 season ran out of steam at the very end, but what a ride it was. Today, Clint Eiland and I will look back on some of the highs and lows, along with a look back at our preseason predictions to see how they shook out. Let's dive right in. Clint: QB Hendon Hooker There was actually a bit of a debate here on who should receive…

When the news came down last week that a 12-team College Football Playoff would be implemented starting with the 2024 season, coaches like Billy Napier (Florida), Mike Norvell (Florida State) and Mario Cristobal (Miami) were no doubt rejoicing. By tripling the access to the prestigious CFP, it means coaches at high-resourced Power 5 programs across…

It's tough to know when to take a team seriously, when to treat it as a true contender. Several teams climb up the polls each season, but nearly every College Football Playoff ultimately ends up with the usual suspects. Only one team in the playoff era, LSU in the 2019 season, has crashed the party and come out on top. I've been slow to see…

TAMPA - People who have worked with Alex Golesh seem to love him. When you wonder why USF hired another coordinator to be head football coach, that's important to remember. A succession of schools also put Golesh in charge of their recruiting efforts at a fairly young age. That, too, is a consideration if you have questions about his resume. And a…

Seven weeks into the 2022 college football season, let's just say it has not played out as expected. One of the most chaotic seasons of the last 15 years enters the halfway point with Tennessee, USC, Ole Miss and perhaps even Texas in the College Football Playoff conversation while programs like Alabama and reigning national champion Georgia are…

Tennessee football may deserve to go to the Sugar Bowl, but the Orange Bowl could be a better outcome. That's the peculiar situation for Vols as they await their bowl bid. The College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET) and finalized on Sunday (noon ET) on ESPN. That will determine which teams go to the playoffs and…

Following some memorable games throughout the year, the 2022 college football season is entering its final week of the regular season. Not only it can define the conference championship games but also their fate in the postseason. Teams such as Georgia control their destiny, while the matchup between Ohio State and Michigan can affect the College…

College football rivalry week is always so bittersweet: It's what we've been waiting for, and the buffet of games we get on this week is incredible. Meaningful games, day after day, hour after hour, with bowl or championship implications in so many of them. But then, when Saturday ends, it's just about over. Sure, championship week is fun, and who…

College football rivalry week is always so bittersweet: It's what we've been waiting for, and the buffet of games we get on this week is incredible. Meaningful games, day after day, hour after hour, with bowl or championship implications in so many of them. But then, when Saturday ends, it's just about over. Sure, championship week is fun, and who…

Tennessee's hopes of making the College Football Playoffs have been extinguished as of the Vols' loss to unranked South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia. The Volunteers have still put together a remarkable season though, with wins against Florida, Alabama, and LSU, and are currently on track to make one of the premier games on the bowl…

We thought it would be an average day of football, but the underdogs had other plans. The day started with TCU defeating Baylor as time ticked away, while Michigan also needed a last second field goal to remain undefeated. But it was South Carolina that threw a wrench into the College Football Playoff, beating 5th ranked Tennessee and ending the…

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Welcome to the unofficial second bye week of SEC football season. Yes, all 14 teams are in action this weekend, but a few are hosting FCS or Group of Five teams in matchups we won't waste our keystrokes on in this space. Missouri is one of six SEC teams slipping out of conference play this week, and as always, we'll publish the…

The No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers (9-1, 5-1) will travel to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4). Josh Heupel and the Vols are looking to keep pace with the top four teams in the country and wait for an opportunity to jump back into the College Football Playoff top-four rankings. They need to keep winning and doing it…

Two road games to close out the regular season are on the plate for Tennessee football as they try to remain in the College Football Playoff hunt, and the toughest of those comes this weekend. The Vols, 9-1 and ranked No. 5 in both polls, will visit the South Carolina Gamecocks, who are 6-4. It's a matchup between two second-year head coaches in…

The American Athletic Conference (AAC) is coming off a Peach Bowl appearance in which Cincinnati nearly knocked off Georgia. I'd say this conference has the respect of everyone across the country between the Bearcats, UCF, Houston, and Memphis. There's plenty of returning talent across the league, especially at quarterback with Desmond Ridder and…

They say recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics. Or, perhaps, funding. Or, in today's climate, the marriage of recruiting and funding, an NIL collective. All that stuff is important, but the grease that keeps the gears moving is … speculation. Oh, we can't wait to talk about what will be in college sports, often to the detriment of what…

One thing I like to keep consistent on The Napkin is my belief that process is more important than results. If you maintain a consistent process, then the results will follow. It's a philosophy I like to maintain in my life and it applies to my betting as well. That process finally, and I mean finally, saw results. I have consistently been…

ATHENS - The College Football Playoff drama is building with only two weeks left in the regular season and then a round of conference championship games on Dec. 2-3. There's little to no debate about the top two spots belonging to Georgia and Ohio State at the moment, but the squawking grows loud and potential politics emerge when discussing and…

Let's take a look at the College Football Week 7 odds, picks, and predictions for Saturday's slate. And here are our other articles with picks of the weekend: Tennessee (+7.5) vs. Alabama This spread is more or less fair if Alabama QB Bryce Young is fully healthy. It's slightly off if Young plays but is compromised. And it's way, way off if Young…

There's good news and there's bad news for No. 11 Alabama. After last week's loss to No. 8 LSU put a crippling dent in any chance of returning to the College Football Playoff, No. 11 Alabama bounced back to beat No. 9 Mississippi 30-24 and avoid the sort of result that would've raised serious alarm bells over the Crimson Tide's precipitous drop out…

Unbeaten UCF is looking to defeat another SEC team in a New Year's Six game. This time, the Knights go up against LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. Below, find time, TV channel, prediction and preview information. Last season, UCF beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. This year, first-year coach Josh Heupel and UCF play coach Ed Orgeron and LSU in the Fiesta Bowl…

We've reached the second week of November and games continue to increase in importance. That's not only true of the College Football Playoff hopefuls but for teams looking to secure bowl eligibility or those in fights to win division or conference hardware. With heighted importance comes more pressure, so there are a lot of situational spots at…

college football odds series for our Tennessee Pittsburgh prediction and pick. The Tennessee Volunteers have not won the SEC championship since 1998. This is nearly a quarter-century title drought for a very proud program with a rich tradition. Tennessee made the SEC Championship Game in 2001, 2004, and 2007 under former coach Phil Fulmer, but lost…