To cap off the 2025 season, Tennessee football has accepted an invitation to play in the Music City Bowl. The Vols will meet Illinois on Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN. The bowl clash will be played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
With the game officially set, Vegas has released its betting lines for the matchup. According to FanDuel, Tennessee opens up as a 6.5-point favorite in the game. The Vols are -225 on the moneyline, while the Illini are +184.
So far, 58% of bettors on FanDuel have picked Tennessee to cover. 57% of the money has come in on UT to cover, as well. This season, the Vols are just 5-7 against the spread. Illinois is 8-4 against the spread. Both teams finished the season 8-4 in actual results, as well.
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The over/under point total in the game is slated at 61.5 combined points. The Vols’ games have gone over in eight out of 12 games, while Illinois’ have gone under seven of 12 times.
This will be the fourth time Tennessee has played in the Music City Bowl. The Vols lost to North Carolina in 2010 in double overtime due to a controversial ending that resulted in the NCAA adding the 10-second run-off rule going forward. The Vols returned in 2016 and defeated Nebraska by two touchdowns.
In 2021, Josh Heupel’s first season leading Tennessee, the Vols went back to the game. Another controversial ending, Jaylen Wright’s forward progress being ruled to have stopped, resulted in an overtime to Purdue.
This will be Illinois’ first time playing in the Music City Bowl.
