The Tennessee Volunteers have 55 all-time bowl appearances, which is good for a tie for fifth in the nation alongside Southern California. The Vols’ upcoming Citrus Bowl appearance on New Year’s Day will be their 56th all-time bowl appearance.
The Volunteers currently rank No. 3 in the SEC behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia, but will drop to No. 5 once the SEC expansion happens after the 2023-2024 sports seasons. The University of Texas lands at No. 3 while the University of Oklahoma lands at No. 4.
The Top 5 (not including the upcoming 2023 bowl season) is as follows:
1: Alabama – 75 total appearances, 45 wins, 7 CFB Playoff appearances
2: Georgia – 61 total appearances, 37 wins, 3 CFB Playoff appearances
3: Texas – 58 total appearances, 31 wins
4: Oklahoma – 56 total appearances, 31 wins, 4 CFB Playoff appearances
5: Tennessee – 55 total appearances, 30 wins
5: Southern California – 55 total appearances, 34 wins
55 burgers
55 fries
55 tacos
55 BOWLS!
5th all-time#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/I8asF57kzW— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 11, 2023
More from RTI: Tennessee Football Outgoing Transfer Portal Tracker
Tennessee’s first bowl game came all the way back in the Orange Bowl on January 2, 1939, in Miami, Florida. The Volunteers defeated Oklahoma by a score of 17-0.
The Vols’ best streak of bowl game appearances came in the 80s and 90s. Tennessee went 11-4 in bowl games from 1983 to 1999, capping off the run with a win over Florida State for the National Championship.
Tennessee has a record of 30-25 in their 55 all-time bowl game appearances including a 1-1 record under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols fell to Purdue in overtime in the 2021 Music City Bowl and beat Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s last 10 bowl appearances:
2022 Orange Bowl: Tennessee defeats Clemson 31-14
2021 Music City Bowl: Purdue defeats Tennessee 47-45
2019 Gator Bowl: Tennessee defeats Indiana 23-22 (win vacated)
2016 Music City Bowl: Tennessee defeats Nebraska 38-24
2015 Outback Bowl: Tennessee defeats Northwestern 45-6
2014 Taxslayer Bowl: Tennessee defeats Iowa 45-28
2010 Music City Bowl: North Carolina defeats Tennessee 30-27
2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia Tech defeats Tennessee 37-14
2007 Outback Bowl: Tennessee defeats Wisconsin 21-17
2006 Outback Bowl: Penn State defeats Tennessee 20-10
