Two teams that spent plenty of time inside the Top 25 this season will meet in Tuesday’s Music City Bowl.
Tennessee (8-4, 4-4) is a 2.5-point favorite over Illinois (8-4, 5-4) for this tilt, which will take place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
As with most bowls featuring two Power 4 programs, there are plenty of opt-outs and roster maneuvers to make note of ahead of this showdown.
Tennessee vs. Illinois odds, prediction
The biggest name missing from the Music City Bowl is Tennessee’s standout wide receiver Chris Brazzell II, who is skipping to focus on the NFL Draft. Brazell II isn’t the only key opt-out for the Vols, as three of their most important defensive players, Joshua Josephs, Arion Carter, and Colton Hood, are also set to watch from the sidelines.
Illinois’ list isn’t as noteworthy, but the Illini will be missing tackle JC Davis and pass-rusher Gabe Jacas.
All of this adds up to the bookmakers viewing this contest as a coin flip, with the Vols getting a slight bump thanks to a de facto home-field advantage since this bowl game takes place in Nashville.
Every bowl game takes on a different shape, size, and feeling. This one projects to be a show.
Not only are these two terrific teams, but they also boast a pair of standout quarterbacks who will be happy to sling the ball up and down the field in what could be their last chance to impress NFL scouts.
Betting on College Football?
Illinois’ Luke Altmyer is expected to be a late-round pick this April, while Joey Aguilar’s status is up in the air. Either way, this is a great quarterback matchup, and I expect both staffs to play into that.
And even if you don’t want to read too much into the quarterback showcase, you can just look at the raw numbers and see a pretty clear path to the Over 61.5 points on Tuesday. Tennessee was a disappointment in the SEC this season, but the Vols still boasted a prolific offense that graded out as the fifth-best offense in the country, per SP+.
The Illini lagged behind that number, but they were still a formidable unit, and one that will likely be forced to put the pedal to the medal to keep pace with Aguilar and the Vols.
The Play: Over 61.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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