Tennessee has played 58 postseason games and won 31, beginning with a 17 to 0 Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma that completed the unbeaten 1938 season and ending, for now, with a 30 to 28 Music City Bowl loss to Illinois. The 1998 Fiesta Bowl, a 23 to 16 win over Florida State in the first BCS championship game, is the one that matters most. The Citrus Bowl, which the Volunteers have played six times, is the one they have played most.
Every Tennessee Bowl Game
Listed by season. Gold rows are claimed national championship seasons.
| Season | Bowl | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Orange Bowl | W 17 to 0 vs Oklahoma |
| 1939 | Rose Bowl | L 0 to 14 vs USC |
| 1940 | Sugar Bowl | L 13 to 19 vs Boston College |
| 1942 | Sugar Bowl | W 14 to 7 vs Tulsa |
| 1944 | Rose Bowl | L 0 to 25 vs USC |
| 1946 | Orange Bowl | L 0 to 8 vs Rice |
| 1950 | Cotton Bowl | W 20 to 14 vs Texas |
| 1951 | Sugar Bowl | L 13 to 28 vs Maryland |
| 1952 | Cotton Bowl | L 0 to 16 vs Texas |
| 1956 | Sugar Bowl | L 7 to 13 vs Baylor |
| 1957 | Gator Bowl | W 3 to 0 vs Texas A&M |
| 1965 | Bluebonnet Bowl | W 27 to 6 vs Tulsa |
| 1966 | Gator Bowl | W 18 to 12 vs Syracuse |
| 1967 | Orange Bowl | L 24 to 26 vs Oklahoma |
| 1968 | Cotton Bowl | L 13 to 36 vs Texas |
| 1969 | Gator Bowl | L 13 to 14 vs Florida |
| 1970 | Sugar Bowl | W 34 to 13 vs Air Force |
| 1971 | Liberty Bowl | W 14 to 13 vs Arkansas |
| 1972 | Bluebonnet Bowl | W 24 to 17 vs LSU |
| 1973 | Gator Bowl | L 19 to 28 vs Texas Tech |
| 1974 | Liberty Bowl | W 7 to 3 vs Maryland |
| 1979 | Bluebonnet Bowl | L 22 to 27 vs Purdue |
| 1981 | Garden State Bowl | W 28 to 21 vs Wisconsin |
| 1982 | Peach Bowl | L 22 to 28 vs Iowa |
| 1983 | Citrus Bowl | W 30 to 23 vs Maryland |
| 1984 | Sun Bowl | L 27 to 28 vs Maryland |
| 1985 | Sugar Bowl | W 35 to 7 vs Miami |
| 1986 | Liberty Bowl | W 21 to 14 vs Minnesota |
| 1987 | Peach Bowl | W 27 to 22 vs Indiana |
| 1989 | Cotton Bowl | W 31 to 27 vs Arkansas |
| 1990 | Sugar Bowl | W 23 to 22 vs Virginia |
| 1991 | Fiesta Bowl | L 17 to 42 vs Penn State |
| 1992 | Hall of Fame Bowl | W 38 to 23 vs Boston College |
| 1993 | Citrus Bowl | L 13 to 31 vs Penn State |
| 1994 | Gator Bowl | W 45 to 23 vs Virginia Tech |
| 1995 | Citrus Bowl | W 20 to 14 vs Ohio State |
| 1996 | Citrus Bowl | W 48 to 28 vs Northwestern |
| 1997 | Orange Bowl | L 17 to 42 vs Nebraska |
| 1998 | Fiesta Bowl (BCS Championship) | W 23 to 16 vs Florida State |
| 1999 | Fiesta Bowl | L 21 to 31 vs Nebraska |
| 2000 | Cotton Bowl | L 21 to 35 vs Kansas State |
| 2001 | Citrus Bowl | W 45 to 17 vs Michigan |
| 2002 | Peach Bowl | L 3 to 30 vs Maryland |
| 2003 | Peach Bowl | L 14 to 27 vs Clemson |
| 2004 | Cotton Bowl | W 38 to 7 vs Texas A&M |
| 2006 | Outback Bowl | L 10 to 20 vs Penn State |
| 2007 | Outback Bowl | W 21 to 17 vs Wisconsin |
| 2009 | Chick-fil-A Bowl | L 14 to 37 vs Virginia Tech |
| 2010 | Music City Bowl | L 27 to 30 vs North Carolina (2OT) |
| 2014 | TaxSlayer Bowl | W 45 to 28 vs Iowa |
| 2015 | Outback Bowl | W 45 to 6 vs Northwestern |
| 2016 | Music City Bowl | W 38 to 24 vs Nebraska |
| 2019 | Gator Bowl | W 23 to 22 vs Indiana |
| 2021 | Music City Bowl | L 45 to 48 vs Purdue (OT) |
| 2022 | Orange Bowl | W 31 to 14 vs Clemson |
| 2023 | Citrus Bowl | W 35 to 0 vs Iowa |
| 2024 | CFP first round, at Ohio State | L 17 to 42 vs Ohio State |
| 2025 | Music City Bowl | L 28 to 30 vs Illinois |
The 1998 Fiesta Bowl
Tennessee beat Florida State 23 to 16 in Tempe in the first championship game of the BCS era, with Tee Martin at quarterback, Peerless Price catching a 79 yard touchdown and Dwayne Goodrich returning an interception 54 yards for another. It completed a 13 and 0 season and is the program’s only postseason championship. Our national championships page covers that season.
The Late 1980s and 1990s Run
Between the 1985 Sugar Bowl, a 35 to 7 win over Miami, and the 1998 Fiesta Bowl, Tennessee went 10 and 3 in bowls, including five straight wins from 1985 to 1990 and three straight from 1994 to 1996 with Peyton Manning. The 1990 Sugar Bowl over Virginia, 23 to 22 on a late field goal, and the 1995 Citrus Bowl over Ohio State are the ones from that stretch most often recalled.
The Playoff
Tennessee reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2024 as the ninth seed and lost 42 to 17 at Ohio State in the first round. The 2025 team went 8 and 5 and lost the Music City Bowl to Illinois by two. Our College Football Playoff results page has every championship game.
The Citrus Bowl
Tennessee has played the Citrus Bowl six times, the most of any bowl, and is 5 and 1 there. The 2023 win over Iowa, 35 to 0, was the first shutout in the bowl’s history. The Orange Bowl, where the postseason record began in 1939, has produced two wins in five appearances, with the 2022 win over Clemson the first since 1938.
The Bottom Line
Tennessee is 31 and 27 across 58 postseason games, with one national championship won in the 1998 Fiesta Bowl and one playoff appearance that ended at Ohio State. The Volunteers have played more Citrus Bowls than any other and won five, and the current stretch of two straight postseason losses follows wins in the 2022 Orange and 2023 Citrus Bowls. Our page on most bowl appearances shows where Tennessee ranks.