It's been a long, long wait for Tennessee in getting back to a New Year's Day bowl game as the Volunteers haven't played in one since their 2008 Outback Bowl victory over Wisconsin.
Now, the Vols return to Tampa, Florida, with the chance to win nine games for the first time since that '07 season and beat a Top 15 team in the process. Coach Pat Fitzgerald brings his Northwestern Wildcats and their stingy defense into the game with a 10-2 record and a chip on their shoulder.
Few think the Wildcats can win this game, and that makes them dangerous.