UT Vols: Tennessee to play Texas in Liberty Bowl, says way-too-early prediction

Chuck Campbell | Knoxville

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The University of Tennessee will be back in the bowl business this season, traveling cross-state to Memphis for a Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl date with Texas.

Or at least that’s how USA TODAY sportswriter Erick Smith sees it in his pre-season predictions.

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Given the Vols are coming off a 4-8 season and have yet to play their first game under new head coach Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee fans might want to hold off a bit before building their New Year’s Eve plans around the Liberty Bowl.

Same goes for Memphis football fans: Smith predicts the Tigers will be in Annapolis on New Year’s Eve, playing Boston College.

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Other predictions of note: Smith sees West Virginia, Tennessee’s opponent this Saturday, playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. He also predicts bowl games for SEC East teams South Carolina (Dec. 31 vs. Purdue in the Gator Bowl), Florida (Dec. 29 vs. Duke in the Belk Bowl), Missouri (Dec. 27 vs. Wake Forest in the Independence Bowl) and Kentucky (Dec. 22 vs. Central Florida in the Birmingham Bowl).

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He predicts Vanderbilt will be staying home in the post-season, though he does see Middle Tennessee State University getting an invitation to play Air Force in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15.

Smith picks Clemson, Alabama, Penn State and Oklahoma as his College Football Playoff teams, with a national championship game between Clemson and Alabama.