Tennessee football coach Butch Jones and his assistants will receive smaller bonuses than if the Vols had finished the season strong and received a bid to the Sugar Bowl.KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s loss at Vanderbilt in last weekend’s football regular-season finale did more than knock the Volunteers out of a likely Sugar Bowl bid and a third game in as many seasons against Oklahoma.
It also caused the athletic department’s coffers and the coaches’ wallets to take a hit.
Instead of landing in a high-profile game with an $18 million payout, Tennessee (8-4) likely will end up in the Music City Bowl in Nashville against a Big Ten opponent when the Southeastern Conference announces its bowl pairings this evening.
The payout for the Music City Bowl, which is at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 29 and will air on ESPN, is $2.75 million.
All bowl revenue generated by SEC teams is pooled by the league and later distributed among its 14 schools, though each team receives a travel allowance to handle expenses associated with the game.