KNOXVILLE - By Sunday afternoon, Tennessee will finally know its bowl destination.
The Volunteers (7-5), who have won five straight games and six of their past seven after a 1-4 start this season, will be making their 53rd bowl appearance. That ranks sixth behind Alabama, Nebraska, Texas, Southern California and Georgia (all but Nebraska qualified for a bowl this season), and Tennessee's 28 bowl wins are tied for seventh with Florida State, with Alabama, Southern California and Georgia first through third and Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas tied for fourth in that category.
The excitement around the program - Tennessee hadn't reached bowl eligibility since 2016, which was tied with Nebraska for the longest active drought among teams in the top 10 of all-time bowl appearances - suggests the Vols could be in contention for a high-level bowl, with three of the numerous options in the state of Florida a likelihood and something the players would definitely prefer.
"I'd like to be able to get my bathing suit out," junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano said of a trip to the Sunshine State, "and my mom will definitely be happy about that. I'd like to try to get the whole family out there, but we definitely want to go to Florida."
The Vols are about to find out if those wishes will come true, but what are the most likely landing spots?
The Times Free Press takes a look at five possibilities in order of likelihood.
1. Gator Bowl (Jan. 2): Tennessee has four wins in six appearances in this game, which was known only as the TaxSlayer Bowl from the 2014 through the 2017 seasons. The pairing will pit a Southeastern Conference team against one from the Big Ten or the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a number of bowl projections have the Vols heading to Jacksonville for the first time since the 2014 season, when they beat Iowa 45-28.
2. Outback Bowl (Jan. 1): This seemed like a long shot not all that long ago, but it's possible - if not likely - that Tennessee ends up in Tampa, though the outcome of the weekend's conference championship games will be a big factor. A projection by 247Sports.com had the Vols facing Wisconsin in a rematch of the Outback Bowl held on New Year's Day 2008, won 21-17 by Tennessee after Antonio Wardlow intercepted a pass at his 1-yard line with less than a minute to go. That was the Vols' second consecutive appearance in this bowl, but they haven't been back since the 2015 season, when they defeated No. 13 Northwestern 45-6.
3. Music City Bowl (Dec. 30): Not many programs would be disappointed by a trip to Nashville, but the short drive for the Vols would be considered a disappointing finish after they put together one of this year's best regular-season stretch runs by an SEC team. Tennessee has played in the Music City Bowl only twice, most recently a 38-24 win over Nebraska after a disappointing end to the 2016 season. The SEC tries not to make a team a regular in a specific bowl these days, and with Kentucky, which is 7-5, having played in Nashville to cap its 2017 season, it's possible the Wildcats could be slotted in Jacksonville and the Vols would have to stay in their own state.
4. Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1): This trip to Orlando is a complete and total long shot. Not even worth discussing except Tennessee fans travel really well. It's worth noting Alabama, which is used to competing for national championships year in and year out, may not be as attractive to a bowl due to its fans not being as excited with the Crimson Tide missing the College Football Playoff for the first time since the four-team bracket debuted in the 2014 season. (Hey, I said it was a long shot.)
5. Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31): Liberty Bowl representatives have been salivating for a chance to host the Vols - who haven't played in this bowl since 1986 and haven't played in Memphis since 1997 - but this seems as unlikely as the Citrus Bowl. Although it's a nice destination for fans (have you tried Memphis barbecue?) and would potentially help in recruiting - the Vols have three commitments for 2020 in Memphis - it's not exactly a desired spot.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.