The 1972 LSU Tigers finished the regular season with a 9–1–1 record with its lone loss coming against Alabama and a tie against Florida. The appearance marked the second for LSU in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, and their eighteenth overall bowl game.[3]
The 1972 Tennessee Volunteers finished the regular season with a 9–2 record with a loss to both Alabama and Auburn. The appearance marked the second for Tennessee in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, and their nineteenth overall bowl game.