Tennessee football is back in action on Tuesday evening for the first time in a month as the Vols conclude their 2025 season with a matchup against Illinois in the Music City Bowl. It’s the first-ever matchup between Illinois and Tennessee as both look to finish somewhat disappointing 8-4 seasons with a bowl victory.
Each week, the RTI team will provide game predictions for Tennessee’s matchup. We finish with the Illinois Fighting Illini.
More From RTI: What You Need to Know About Illinois’ Opt Outs Ahead of the Music City Bowl vs. Tennessee
Ric Butler
The final game of the 2025 season is here, and the Vols are heading to Nashville to play in the Music City Bowl. To tell you the truth, aside from a few blanket opinions and thoughts, I’m not really sure what to make of this one. It’s a mid-level bowl in the expanded College Football Playoffs era and there are so many variables in and around this game that it’s hard to get a good grip on.
That all being said, I’ll start with what I know. Even without Chris Brazzell, I think that Tennessee’s offense will still be able to light up the scoreboard. Brazzell was a massive part of Tennessee getting to the top-ranked offense in the SEC, but it’s still the top-ranked offense in the SEC for a reason. I think Tennessee will be able to make enough plays through the passing game to keep the scoreboard ticking upward.
We’ve seen this Tennessee defense play without Arion Carter due to injury during a small stretch during the season. I’m more curious about what Tennessee’s pass rushing unit looks like without Joshua Josephs and the secondary without Colton Hood. If there’s a spot where I feel like Illinois can make some ground, it’s with Luke Altmyer throwing the ball. Ultimately, though, what will the defense look like under William Inge, and how noticeable will it be for this game?
I can see this being an explosive first half for both sides, but I think that Tennessee can keep its offense moving throughout the game. If Tennessee’s defense can hold in any way during the fourth quarter, maybe the Vols’ offense can pull away a bit. But, hey, who knows? It’s bowl season after all. I’ll take Tennessee, but I’m not betting my house on it or anything.
Prediction: Tennessee 38, Illinois 34
Ryan Schumpert
Bowl games are particularly hard to predict for two reasons. The first is opt outs. Tennessee is down four key players in this game while Illinois is likely down three including a top edge rusher and a top offensive tackle. Secondly, it’s hard to project what the team’s motivation is going to be like for a bowl game in the College Football Playoff era.
As it comes to motivation, the two teams are in relatively similar spots with somewhat disappointing seasons. But Tennessee was in the College Football Playoff a season ago. Illinois is experiencing one of its best runs this century. That would lead me to believe that Illinois would be more motivated in this game. However, Josh Heupel always talks about liking the competitive spirit of his team. And this group has a number of key seniors who will be playing their last game in a Tennessee uniform.
I’m most interested to see what Tennessee’s defense looks like in this game. William Inge is taking over for Tim Banks calling the defense in this one and he doesn’t necessarily have a ton of help. With Josh Josephs, Arion Carter and Colton Hood all out, the Vols are going to be thin at some key spots. But the Vols’ defense has also been pretty bad for most of the season. The bar for them to play similar to how they played most of the season is low.
Offensively, Tennessee is without Chris Brazzell and that’s certainly a loss. But I expect the Vols to keep things rolling on that end. In fact, I’m more looking for them to bounce back from a disappointing performance against Vanderbilt to end the regular season. This one feels like a toss up, I’ll take Tennessee in a close game.
Prediction: Tennessee 35, Illinois 31
Ryan Sylvia
This one feels like a coin flip. Both defenses are going to be without some of their best players, with Tennessee missing Colton Hood, Arion Carter and Joshua Josephs. On the other side, Illinois will be without star edge rusher Gabe Jacas and veteran safety Matthew Bailey. That makes me think it’ll turn into a shootout to a certain extent, with whoever has the ball last having the advantage.
I’ll slightly give an edge to the Illini, though, due to the questions at cornerback for the Vols. Without Hood, and also still without Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III, it’ll likely be two true freshmen at corner. While Ty Redmond has taken a huge step since taking over this season, the other options, likely Tre Poteat or Timothy Merritt, both have almost no action under their belt.
On offense, I’m also curious how Tennessee fares without Chris Brazzell. He’s been arguably the best receiver in the SEC, and it’ll be a true freshman in either Radarious Jackson or Travis Smith Jr. filling in. It’ll be great experience for both, but the dropoff could be noticeable at times, especially when looking to connect on shots down the field.
If this were a regular-season game with no opt-outs or transfers, I’d lean toward Tennessee winning. However, despite a trio of key pieces out for Illinois, it still feels like the Vols are going to be missing more production. With Josh Heupel potentially going the route of using the game for experience for his young players (while, of course, still trying to win), it’d make sense to me that the Illini squeak one out.
Prediction: Illinois 38, Tennessee 35
