Adams: Tampa, Dallas could be destination for Vols

Last year at this time, Tennessee fans were wondering if Monte Kiffin would leave Tampa. Now, you might wonder if he could go back to Tampa.

I'm not referring to the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he gained NFL fame as an innovative defensive coordinator. I'm talking about a bowl trip.

If you want to speculate on UT's bowl possibilities, you have to start with the Outback Bowl in Tampa. That's not just because its defensive coordinator has a fan base there.

It's the only bowl any player on this team can discuss with firsthand knowledge. That includes fifth-year seniors.

The Vols didn't qualify for a bowl in 2005 or 2008. In between, they played in two Outback Bowls.

Based on that, you might think the Outback Bowl would dismiss the Vols on familiarity alone. "Not at all," said Mike Schulze, the Outback Bowl's director of communications and sponsorships. "We took them in back-to-back years, so that's not an issue."

The Outback Bowl has had representatives at UT's last two games, a last-second loss to Alabama and a 31-13 victory over nationally ranked South Carolina.

"We're excited about the way they're doing," Schulze said. "We'll wait to see how the season plays out."

That bowl might have been a letdown a couple of years ago when UT almost upset LSU in the SEC championship game. It might be a best-case scenario now.

It's a New Year's Day bowl. It offers warm weather and a beach in the middle of winter. Moreover, the state is a home away from home for UT recruiters.

And they've got the billboards to prove it.

Getting back to Tampa won't be easy. But if the Vols can win their last four games, they would end the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

The SEC East couldn't offer a hotter team.

Florida, Alabama and LSU likely will qualify for the SEC's three best bowls, including two in the BCS and the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

A scramble is shaping up behind the SEC's big three. And the Vols are right in the middle of it.

The Outback and Cotton bowls are on equal footing in the SEC pecking order - behind the BCS bowls and the Capital One, but ahead of every other bowl with SEC tie-ins.

The Outback has the option of taking the top remaining team from the East. The Cotton gets the best of what's left from the West.

The Cotton Bowl, scheduled for the afternoon of Jan. 2, also would be a great option for UT. Dallas might be farther and colder, but the bowl offers more tradition and the spectacular new home of the Dallas Cowboys, who will be playing in the same stadium the next day.

But the Outback might not pass on an 8-4 UT team, which would finish second in the East by winning out. Georgia already has four losses and is stumbling toward the finish line. South Carolina has three losses but still has to play Florida, Clemson, and Arkansas on the road.

The Vols also could find themselves competing with Auburn and Ole Miss, both with three losses.

Auburn, which defeated the Vols by four points last month, might get by Georgia in Athens. But it also might get embarrassed in the final game against Alabama.

Ole Miss will provide bowl competition and an on-the-field challenge as well. It's the best team the Vols will play in the last month of the season.

If UT beats Ole Miss in Oxford (Nov. 14), it will be a solid favorite to defeat both Vanderbilt and Kentucky the last two weeks. If it pulls that off, a bowl trip to Tampa or Dallas could be its reward.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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