Tennessee vs. Nebraska, Music City Bowl 2016: Vols hold on for win

College football has been blessed by an embarrassment of riches at the running back position through the years.

Every decade has had its legends, and the 2010s have been no different, from the mythical Leonard Fournette to the Bama-killing Ezekiel Elliott to [insert Bama workhorse here]. Like Elliott, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook never finished higher than seventh in the Heisman voting, but he might have provided more indelible moments than anyone in the decade this side of Columbus.

Every year from 2008 through 2014, Nebraska won at least nine games and lost at least four games under head coach Bo Pelini. The Huskers fired him toward the end of 2014, meaning that year was technically only a 9-3 season for Bo, but times are tough, so we’re gonna count it as well.

It wasn’t just the program stagnation that did it. There was a reasonable case for it, which included his rocky relationship with the local fanbase. (Two years later, NU is still talking about Pelini, which goes to show just how stressed things were.)

Tennessee and Nebraska may not have seen themselves playing in the Music City Bowl to cap off their 2016 seasons, but so it was in Nashville on Friday afternoon. In the second half, Nebraska looked lifeless at the beginning of the fourth quarter, giving up a Tennessee touchdown to trail, 31-14.

But the Cornhuskers were able to score a field goal and force a fumble on the ensuing kickoff that set up a touchdown to pull the Huskers within seven.

Tennessee’s beating Nebraska in the Music City Bowl, but the real brawl seems to be going on in the stands of Nashville’s Nissan Stadium:

I don’t even know where to begin here, other than to note the pop that starts the festivities at :02, the cups going airborne shortly after, that devolving into a slap-and-holler match, and then a middle finger around the 24-second mark really setting things off. Security manages to arrive toward the end, and it doesn’t look like anybody got hurt.

SEC East favorite Tennessee peaked as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll this year, sitting at 5-1 on Oct. 10. The Vols would’ve likely ranked higher at that point if their five wins had been more authoritative; they’d made a habit of escaping against less-talented teams. Still, all their season goals were still on the table.

They’d quickly be swept off by three straight losses and a later bonus loss to Vanderbilt.

Nebraska and Tennessee both had chances to make more of 2016. The Huskers started their season 7-0 and had a two-game edge in the Big Ten West before finishing 2-3 and behind Wisconsin. The Vols started 5-0 and had total command of the SEC East after beating Florida and Georgia, but a three-game losing streak in the middle of October doomed their season. Losing to Vanderbilt later on didn’t help things.

Tennessee was the preseason East favorite, and its year has been an unquestionable disappointment. Nebraska maybe wasn’t supposed to be as good as the Vols were, but the Huskers still had a letdown at the end. Neither probably had any interest at all two months ago in playing in the Music City Bowl, with New Year’s Six (and even Playoff) dreams alive for both after the first month and change of the season.

The Volunteers had a team of destiny vibe through the first five games of the season, putting together a 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS run highlighted by multiple fourth-quarter comebacks. But the magic ran out in October as Tennessee lost three straight games, eventually settling for an 8-4 SU and 5-7 ATS record.

Tennessee’s high-powered offense averaged a respectable 36.3 points per game, but inconsistency plagued this team throughout the season.

FPeak SEC occurred in late-October 2014.

When the College Football Playoff committee unveiled its inaugural midseason rankings, the league claimed four of the top six teams in the country: No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Ole Miss, and No. 6 Alabama. At 6-1, No. 11 Georgia was within striking distance of a Playoff bid as well.

No matter how you slice it, Tennessee’s 2016 was a disappointment. This was a team many of us (myself included) thought would win the SEC East. Hell, they even beat Florida and Georgia. Conventional wisdom tells you the division should always go through one of those three schools. But injuries, embarrassing losses, and the best offensive player transferring midseason conspired to tank the Vols in 2016.

Then, Jones uttered the woeful words about his team:

Both sides are right. Bowls are a cynical money-making exercise, an excuse for ESPN inventory, and an outdated way for all the wrong people to maintain some semblance of control over college football. They’re also happy, bonus football.

We are at both extremes in 2016. We once again had 80 bowl bids to give out and fewer than 80 bowl-eligible teams, a sure sign of bloat and excess. We’re also loaded with perhaps more interesting bowl matchups than we’ve ever seen.

All wagers at -110 odds unless otherwise noted. Visit Odds Shark for updated lines throughout each game week.

College football bowl games are a different beast for bettors. Sure, the typical handicapping elements apply. Offense and defense matter. But there are some key elements at play that don’t apply as much during the regular season.

College football’s bowl season is upon us. A full schedule is here.

There are 40 bowl games spread from Dec. 17 to Jan. 2, with the National Championship on Jan. 9. Unless you’re watching on multiple monitors and are really committed, you won’t catch all of them. (If that is your plan, more power to you.)

Also, head over here for the fully updated bowl season calendar as it fills in, from the New Orleans Bowl through the Rose Bowl. We’ll also add picks, scores, and more to that calendar over time.

The bowl schedule really begins its ramp up to New Years on Friday, and the Music City Bowl is right in the middle of a crowded schedule heading into the weekend.