Vanderbilt football bowl projections, where Commodores could end up

Vanderbilt football is not projected to make the College Football Playoff as of now, but analysts have zeroed in on three potential bowls for the Commodores.

No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC) takes on Tennessee (8-3, 4-3) in Neyland Stadium on Nov. 29 (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). Even with a win, most projections have the Commodores at only about 50% chance at the playoff.

If the playoff isn't in the picture, however, Vanderbilt is likely to end up in a bowl game in Florida. The three most likely destinations are the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa and the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. The Citrus Bowl itself has the top pick of SEC teams that don't qualify for the playoff, while the SEC assigns teams to the next tier of bowls that includes the ReliaQuest and Gator bowls. The ReliaQuest and Gator bowls are typically for the top two SEC teams that did not qualify for the playoff or get selected for the Citrus Bowl.

Here's what the projections say:

Vanderbilt football bowl projections after Week 13

ESPN: Citrus Bowl vs. Michigan

The Athletic: Gator Bowl vs. Miami

CBS: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Illinois

Sports Illustrated: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Iowa

USA TODAY: Gator Bowl vs. Virginia

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football bowl projections, where Commodores go if not playoff