Bowl Projections: 1999 National Championship Rematch A Possible Matchup Following 11 Weeks
After eleven weeks of play, here are updated projections for the 71st Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl from around the college football media.
Mark Schlabach (ESPN): Florida State vs. Tennessee
Brett McMurphy (ESPN): North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Jerry Palm (CBSSports.com): Florida State vs. Tennessee
Stewart Mandel (FOX Sports): Florida State vs. Tennessee
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Miami vs. Florida
Pete Fiutak (College Football News): Virginia Tech vs. Auburn
Jason Kirk (SB Nation): North Carolina vs. Tennessee
After a weekend of upsets, we saw some change in our projections; however, Tennessee and Florida State’s chances to meet in Orlando remain plausible in the eyes of the media.
Mark Schlabach (ESPN), Jerry Palm (CBSSports.com) and Stewart Mandel (FOX Sports) all project the Seminoles and Volunteers to meet on New Year’s Eve this week following their conference victories over the weekend. The two teams have only met twice, with Tennessee winning the last meeting in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl which served as the first-ever BCS National Championship game.
SB Nation’s Jason Kirk, who projected the Florida State-Tennessee matchup last week, replaced the Seminoles with North Carolina this week. The Tar Heels join the Seminoles as the only ACC teams to find themselves in multiple projections this week, also finding themselves facing the Volunteers in ESPN Brett McMurphy’s projection. Tennessee and North Carolina haven’t met since 2010 when the Volunteers knocked off the Tar Heels in double overtime 30-27 to take a 20-11-1 lead in the series.
A week after being the favorite in the ACC to appear in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, the Hokies remained in only Pete Fiutak’s projections this week following their upset loss to Georgia Tech. Fiutak has Virginia Tech squaring off with Auburn in his latest prediction. The Hokies and Tigers have met just four times previously with Auburn holding a 3-1-1 advantage. Their latest meeting came in the 2005 Sugar Bowl when the Tigers capped off their undefeated season with a 16-13 victory.
Bill Bender (Sporting News) projects another installment of the in-state rivalry between Miami and Florida. The last time the two teams met came back in 2013 when the Hurricanes knocked off the Gators 21-16 to take a 29-26 lead in the all-time series. Despite their historic rivalry, the two programs have only met in a bowl game twice, with the Hurricanes winning both (2001 Sugar & 2004 Peach).