KNOXVILLE – Tennessee is one of four Southeastern Conference teams facing a Big Ten opponent in the postseason.
The Volunteers certainly would like a similar outcome to their most recent encounter with a team from that conference – not that they’re expecting it to be as easy as their 45-28 rout of Iowa was in last season’s TaxSlayer Bowl.
In January in Jacksonville, Fla., the Vols were the more interested and more focused team, and their speed advantage was even more glaring as they raced to a 28-0 first-half lead and were never threatened by the Hawkeyes.
Tennessee takes an 8-5 record against Big Ten teams in bowl games into its New Year’s Day clash with Northwestern in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., where head coach Butch Jones is expecting a sturdy challenge.
“They’re 10-2 for a reason,” he said of the Wildcats earlier this week when asked about the supposed speed advantage SEC teams have against Big Ten foes. “They’ve won five (straight) games for a reason. There’s a reason why they’re the (13th)-ranked football team in the country. They’re going to challenge us schematically in all three phases. They’re really good in the return game as well on special teams. This is a football team that knows how to win.