MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tennessee football has been selected to play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson on Friday, Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. The news was announced on Sunday afternoon after the final College Football Rankings were released.
Tennessee will go into this game ranked sixth in the country, and Clemson will be ranked seventh. The last time Tennessee played in one of the current New Year's Six bowls was in 2009, when the team played in the Chik-fil-A Bowl, now more commonly referred to as the Peach Bowl.
Tennessee finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, with ranked wins against No. 5 Alabama and No. 17 LSU. The Vols closed out the regular season with a 56-0 win against Vanderbilt and Joe Milton at starting quarterback following Hendon Hooker's season-ending ACL injury. The Vols lead the nation in scoring offense and total offense and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has been a big reason why as the national leader in receiving touchdowns.
Clemson will head into this game 11-2 after beating North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. The Tigers own a top-25 victory against No. 13 Florida State.
The Vols have played in four Orange Bowl games in program history. They made their first appearance in 1937 and played in the game in 1949, 1968 and 1998.
Tennessee's most recent Orange Bowl appearance was also Peyton Manning's final game as a Vol, when the team lost to Nebraska 42-17.
Tennessee holds a 1-3 a record in the Orange Bowl all-time. The team's only win came in 1937 and they lost the three times after that.
You can find tickets for the game through TicketMaster.