Tennessee vs Illinois Betting Tips – Back Volunteers For Music City Bowl Victory

Leigh Copson

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Last updated: Wed 17 Dec 2025 10:34

Leigh Copson 17 Dec 2025

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Tennessee aims for a Music City Bowl win after a loss to Vanderbilt
Volunteers had a strong record against unranked teams
Illinois finished 8-4, overcoming late challenges to secure a bowl game spot

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Tennessee vs Illinois Betting Tips

Key Numbers – Volunteers To Go 9-0 Against Unranked Teams?
First Ever Head-To-Head Meeting
Tennessee Lost 4 Of 12 Regular Season Games
Late Stumble Left Illinois With 8-4 Record

Tennessee are backed to wrap up their season with a Music City Bowl victory.

The Volunteers ended the regular season with a rough loss to Vanderbilt, but Joey Aguilar and this offense can make enough plays to end their campaign on a high.

Key Numbers – Volunteers To Go 9-0 Against Unranked Teams?

Tennessee won all 8 regular season games against unranked teams
Illinois failed to cover in 2 of their 3 games against ranked teams
The Under hit in 2 of Tennessee’s previous 3 road games
The Under has cashed in each of Illinois’ last 4 games

First Ever Head-To-Head Meeting

This will be the first time that the two teams have met

Tennessee Lost 4 Of 12 Regular Season Games

Tennessee suffered four defeats to ranked teams during the regular season, but eight wins was enough to ensure a Bowl game appearance.

The Volunteers opened with back-to-back non-conference wins, before suffering the first of their four losses as they dropped their SEC opener at home to Georgia, 44-41.

They rebounded with a non-conference victory, and backed that up in conference play as they beat Mississippi State 41-34 and Arkansas 34-31, only to then lose 37-20 at Alabama.

Tennessee failed to build on a 56-34 victory over Kentucky as they lost 33-27 to Oklahoma, but they rebounded with a non-conference win before beating Florida 31-11.

The Volunteers endured a miserable end to the season though, as they lost 45-24 at home to Vanderbilt.

Late Stumble Left Illinois With 8-4 Record

Illinois lost three of their final six regular season games to finish 8-4, but that was enough to land them this meeting with Tennessee.

The Fighting Illinois broke into AP’s top 10 early in the season as they won three non-conference matchups, but their rise was quickly halted by a defeat in their Big Ten opener.

They were blown out at Indiana 63-10, but rebounded over the next couple of weeks to beat USC 34-32 and Purdue 43-27.

Illinois’ momentum was then halted by a 34-16 loss to Ohio State and a 42-25 defeat at Washington, although they bounced back to beat Rutgers 35-13 and Maryland 24-6 at home.

The Fighting Illini failed to make it three-in-a-row as they were beaten 27-10 in Wisconsin, but they did conclude the regular season with a win, beating Northwestern 20-13.

Verdict

Music City Bowl - Tennessee v Illinois

Tennessee’s final outing of the regular season was a stinker, but we are backing them to bounce back.

There will be some opt outs here, but Joey Aguilar is expected to feature and he can be the difference as the Volunteers sign off with a victory.

Tennessee -5.5

Spread

@9/10 - 4 Units

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Bet at bet365

Under 60.5

Total Points

@9/10 - 2 Units

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During his career he has covered some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, including the Super Bowl, the Champions League Final and the World Cup Final. He has also covered almost every major boxing match and UFC fight card during this time.. His specialist sports are American Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and Football.

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