1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Common card · No. 302592

The 1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Phillip Fulmer, the Volunteers compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 7–1, winning the SEC's Eastern Division title. Tennessee advanced to the SEC Championship Game, where the Volunteers defeated Auburn to capture the conference championship. Tennessee was then invited to the Orange Bowl, which served as the Bowl Alliance's national title game. There the Volunteers lost to Nebraska. The team played home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Quarterback Peyton Manning had already completed his degree in three years and had been projected to be the top overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft, but he returned to Tennessee for his senior year. The Volunteers opened the season with victories against Texas Tech and UCLA, but for the third time...

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