JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In just over three weeks, thousands of people will visit Jacksonville for the TaxSlayer Bowl. The Tennessee Vols, with a 6 and 6 record, will take on the 7 and 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on January 2nd.
This is first time the teams will meet on the football field since 1987, making what many are considering a game worth traveling to Jacksonville for.
Recommended Videos
Many of you may know this bowl as the Gator Bowl. That's what it was called for decades. Last year it was the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl and this year it's just the the TaxSlayer Bowl. The change was announced in April and comes along with a new six-year agreement on sponsorship.
With the new six-year agreement the first two years the game will be played on January 2nd and the final four years it will be played on December 30th.
The Vols haven't been to a bowl game since 2010, Head Coach Derek Dooley's debut season, haven't won a bowl game since 2007 and were last in Jacksonville in 1994, beating Virginia Tech.
It's been 31 years since the Hawkeyes played in Jacksonville when they lost 14-6 to Florida in the 1983 Gator Bowl.
Last year, the Georgia Bulldogs took on the Nebraska Huskers during the Gator Bowl. We spoke with Mayor Alvin Brown before the big Georgia-Florida weekend which brought in about $32 million.
He compared it with the TaxSlayer Bowl weekend, saying it's not about win or lose, but about a big weekend that will bring in a lot of visitors who will hopefully have a great time in the River City.
"This is more than about a game. This is about the game of life. It's about making sure that we have a good time, people enjoy themselves, enjoy this city and as mayor I'm going to continue to make sure we do that," said Brown.
This is the 6th oldest bowl game, dating back to 1946. This year's game will take place at 3:20 p.m.