Game Information
Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4) vs Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) - Music City Bowl
Time: 4:30pm CT Tuesday
How to watch: ESPN
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Tennessee -3.5
Total: 61.5
It should be a fun matchup with a lot of orange in the seats when the Illinois Fighting Illini head to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the Music City Bowl later today.
Both teams are 8-4, and their rosters are mostly intact with limited impact from opt-outs and transfers.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer will be looking to finish his college career on a high note, and he has been impressive over the last two seasons in particular with 42 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, and 8 additional rushing touchdowns.
Altmyer should be able to feast against a Tennessee defense that has been so bad this season that its defensive coordinator got fired earlier this month.
The Volunteers rank third-worst in the SEC allowing nearly 29 points per game, including giving up 30+ in seven of their eight conference games. The Illini average over 29 points per game, so I expect them to eclipse 30 tonight.
But the Vols are going to get their points as well. Tennessee leads the SEC with over 40 points scored per game this season, and Illinois has been susceptible to getting exposed defensively by good offenses - including giving up 42 to Washington, 34 to Ohio State, 32 to USC, and of course 63 in the shellacking at Indiana.
This game definitely has the feel of let’s have some fun over the holidays and bet the over. The over went 8-4 in Tennessee games this season, and while it went just 5-7 in Illini games, the over was 4-1 when they played away from home and 3-1 when they were an underdog. When Illinois went up against a good team, it was typically a points bonanza, and I think we’ll get another one down in Nashville.
Lean: Over 61.5 at -110 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer