Bowl Projections: Florida State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee & LSU All Bowl Hopefuls After 10 Weeks
After ten 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): Virginia Tech vs. Texas A&M
Jerry Palm (CBSSports.com): Virginia Tech vs. Auburn
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Penn State vs. LSU
College Football News: Virginia Tech vs. LSU
Jason Kirk (SB Nation): Florida State vs. Tennessee
With the passing of the tenth week of play Virginia Tech, Florida State, LSU and Tennessee find themselves in a favorable position to play in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
Florida State and Tennessee was the only projection proposed by more than one member this week. The teams would be meeting for just the third time ever. The Volunteers and Seminoles last met in the very first BCS National Championship Game in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl with the Volunteers downing the ‘Noles, 23-16. Florida State won the initial meeting in 1958, 10-0.
Virginia Tech is the overall favorite this week finding themselves in three projections, each against a different opponent. LSU and Virginia Tech have only met twice before with their last meeting coming in 2007 when the Tigers routed the Hokies 48-7 to even the series at one win apiece.
Also projected to play the Hokies, the Auburn Tigers currently hold the edge with a 3-1-1 lead in the all-time series with Virginia Tech. Auburn has won the previous two meetings, most recently the 2005 Sugar Bowl. Lastly, the Texas A&M Aggies found their way into the projections for the first time since Jason Kirk predicted they would face Nebraska following Week 4. The series is tied 2-2 between the programs with the Aggies winning the past two meetings with the most recent one coming in 2003.
Bill Bender’s (Sporting News) prediction of LSU and Penn State would be a rematch of the 2010 bowl when the Nittany Lions defeated the Tigers, 19-17. Penn State has won both meetings against the Tigers with the only other one coming back in 1974 when former Florida Citrus Sports Executive Director Charles McClendon was the LSU head coach.