KNOXVILLE - Shortly after Tennessee's 24-20 win over Missouri on Nov. 23, which made the Volunteers bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016, several players expressed a desire to play in a Florida bowl game.
It seemed simple enough: Tennessee at that point had won four straight games and five of its last six. The Vols would be a good draw wherever they wound up, and the prestige that typically accompanies playing in a Florida bowl - specifically the Orange, the Citrus, the Outback or the Gator - would be a nice thing for a team that started the season 1-4 but finished 7-5 by wrapping up the regular season with a 28-10 win over Vanderbilt.
But after most early projections had the Vols playing in the Gator Bowl, there were multiple reports Saturday afternoon that Tennessee would be playing in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, with Kentucky heading to Jacksonville instead of the Vols.
Those reports seemed to be confirmed Sunday afternoon when Stadium's Brett McMurphy - one of the nation's most respected college football reporters - tweeted that Tennessee would face Louisville in the Music City Bowl and Kentucky would play Indiana in the Gator. There had been other outlets, including VolQuest.com and GoVols247.com, two of Knoxville's most respected outlets, that also reported through sourcing that the Vols and Nashville were going to be a match.
A source had told the Times Free Press on Sunday that while some within the athletic department preferred Nashville, some donors and boosters still wanted a game in the state of Florida.
Then suddenly, things changed. Reports started trickling out that Tennessee was going to Jacksonville to face the 8-4 Hoosiers, while Kentucky would be headed to Charlotte and the Belk Bowl.
For what it's worth, the Southeastern Conference makes the final bowl selections, something the league office pointed out in a tweet while pandemonium was breaking out about who was going where.
"Participants (are) determined by (the) SEC after conversations with bowl partners and discussions with school personnel to create a lineup of compelling bowl games for teams and fans," the league tweeted out Sunday afternoon. "Goals include no repeat appearances within (a) three-year period."
With Kentucky having played in the Music City Bowl after the 2017 season, that was out for the Wildcats, which was why they had been rumored to be going to Jacksonville. But they were ultimately trumped by Tennessee, which finished two games better in the SEC standings and won 17-13 in the head-to-head matchup on Nov. 9.
Staff photo by C.B. Schmelter / University of Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer watches an on-field fan competition during a timeout in the Vols' game against Georgia on Oct. 5 at Neyland Stadium."Nashville would have been a fantastic destination. They've done a great job with their bowl, and again it's another great venue and a great place," said Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer - who played in the Vols' 14-13 loss to Florida in the 1969 Gator Bowl and coached them to a 45-23 win over Virginia Tech there in 1994. "Obviously, it's in state as well.
"The conference commissioner in the end makes the decision and asks for our preferences, and we've been back and forth a couple of times as to what was best, and I think at the end we landed in the right place for this football team at this particular time."
What it means now is that the Tennessee football team got its wish. The Gator Bowl has been around since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl and the first to be televised nationally. While it could be argued that Nashville is a better city than Jacksonville, it can't be argued that the perception of the Gator Bowl is better than that of the Music City Bowl.
Plus, Jacksonville and Duval County is a hot recruiting area that is appealing to not just the players but also the coaching staff.
"I have recruited Duval County for a long time, and we have had some success there over the years," Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said Sunday. "Just an opportunity to play against a really good football program and a chance for our fans and everybody associated with our university to enjoy a bowl trip. Again, a fantastic venue against a great opponent."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.