As expected, No. 6 Tennessee landed a New Year’s Six bid on Sunday, earning an at-large bid in the Orange Bowl. They’ll face the No. 7 Clemson Tigers, who clinched their ticket to Miami after winning the ACC Championship on Saturday night.
It’s Tennessee first trip to the Orange Bowl since Peyton Manning’s senior season — their first New Year’s Six bowl since the BCS National Championship game during the 1998 season. It’s not exactly what we had it mind three weeks ago, but it’s also not something we had in mind three months ago.