For years, Tennessee football has been that one proud program that couldn’t find a way to ride the coattail of its historical past. That was, until the hiring of Head Coach Josh Heupel who took over the program on Rocky Top and found a way to lead the Volunteers to a Music City Bowl and an impressive 7-5 overall record. It might be a 7-5 record or just a Music City Bowl to some, but to the Volunteer faithful, this year’s Music City Bowl is just another small step for the program that is on the rebound.

For a lot of folks, they look at this Tennessee program, and they see a program that can’t keep up with the big boys of the Southeastern Conference, but what if all Tennessee needed was the right coach and a bowl appearance in what some are calling home away for the Volunteers in Nashville. What if Tennessee uses this season to leap as Kentucky did a few years ago when they won the Citrus Bowl.

Honestly, after another successful early signing day, there’s no reason why Tennessee fans shouldn’t be excited about the future of Volunteers football. Over time, College Football has seen programs like Tennessee fail enough before resurrecting the program into something that many across the College Football landscape thought impossible for even programs with history like Tennessee.

You see, sure, Tennessee is playing in the Music City Bowl, but it only takes one bowl win to spark a program into the next great contender. Tennessee has the resources to compete with any program in the country. It just took enough patience from the Tennessee fan base to get to the point they find themselves in now. A win next week against Purdue would add another valuable brick in the rebuilding process for the Big Orange Nation.

Tennessee fans, enjoy the moment! Head on over to Nissan Stadium next Thursday to cheer on your Volunteers against Purdue; it’s not every day you have the opportunity to make a bowl game feel like another home at Neyland Stadium. It’s your time to show the rest of the College Football exactly who the Big Orange Nation is and what you stand for. Remember, the Music City Bowl is only the start of the Tennessee Football program, a bigger and brighter future is ahead for those on Rocky Top.