Tuesday presents three CFB bowl matchups for fans to enjoy. The middle bout, Tennessee vs. Illinois, brings the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl to Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Fresh off an 8-4 regular season, the Volunteers aim to end their campaign on a high note after enduring a brutal SEC schedule. Also 8-4, the Fighting Illini have won three of their last four games in Big Ten play.
Here, we’ll break down a Tennessee vs. Illinois prediction and picks for the Music City Bowl on Tuesday. Make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right.
Tennessee vs. Illinois Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
In an exciting development, Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between Tennessee and Illinois on the gridiron. That adds plenty of intrigue to the Music City Bowl’s storyline.
As far as opt-outs are concerned, the Vols are without WR Chris Brazzell and multiple others. On the Illini side of things, EDGE Gabe Jacas’ pass-rushing production could be sorely missed.
Tennessee vs. Illinois Over/Under, Spread
The Volunteers enter the Music City Bowl as 3.5-point favorites, returning a 1.56x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Fighting Illini are underdogs with a 2.27x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Tennessee Volunteers -3.5
- Over/Under: 61.5
- Game Winner Payout: Volunteers 1.56x | Fighting Illini 2.27x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Tennessee vs. Illinois Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to get you prepared for Tennessee vs. Illinois.
- Tennessee comes into Tuesday boasting the eighth-best scoring offense in the nation at 37.9 points per game.
- The Volunteers’ defense is unassuming but ranks 15th with an average of 1.8 takeaways.
- Illinois’ offense sits 61st in scoring (27.3 PPG) and 45th in points per play (0.413).
- The Fighting Illini defense is also 61st in scoring on defense (25.1 PPG) and struggles on third downs (45.52%, 120th).
- In fairness to Illinois, their 7-4-1 record against the spread does trump that of Tennessee (5-7).
Tennessee vs. Illinois Picks for PrizePicks
Below are prime Tennessee vs. Illinois Music City Bowl picks to consider. PrizePicks player projections include QBs Joey Aguilar and Luke Altmyer and RB DeSean Bishop.
Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar vs. Illinois Projection: 271.5 Pass Yards
- In his debut campaign with Tennessee, Aguilar led the SEC with an average of 287.0 passing yards per game.
- Even with a pair of 204-yard performances in his final five outings, the senior QB compiled an average of 299.2 passing yards dating back to Oct. 25.
- According to Game on Paper, Aguilar’s 0.38 EPA per dropback ranks seventh out of 132 qualified passers.
- Illinois’ pass defense is 113th in EPA per play (0.16) and 128th in success rate (48.9%).
Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop vs. Illinois Projection: 78.5 Rush Yards
- Bishop is enjoying a career year for the Vols, setting personal bests for rush attempts (163), yards (983), and TDs (14).
- Via Game on Paper, among 259 ball carriers, Bishop’s 0.18 EPA per rush is 36th.
- Bishop averages 3.61 yards after contact per attempt. Per Pro Football Focus, that ranks fifth among all SEC RBs with 50+ totes.
- The Illini defense yields 4.2 yards per carry, good for 59th in the nation.
Illinois QB Luke Altmyer vs. Tennessee Projection: 228.5 Pass Yards
- A fifth-year senior, Altmyer averaged 234.3 passing yards this season.
- Out of 24 Big Ten QBs with 50+ dropbacks, Altmyer’s yards per attempt (8.4) and average depth of target (9.3) are each tied for sixth.
- Opponents throw on Tennessee 34.2 times per game, sitting 118th in the nation. The Vols’ ugly 67.02% completion percentage allowed is 122nd.
- Tennessee’s defense is just 90th in EPA per pass allowed (0.10) and success rate (45.5%) through the air.
Make Tennessee vs. Illinois Music City Bowl Picks on PrizePicks
As bowl season continues, Tennessee vs. Illinois picks are far from the only CFB ones to consider.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 30 states.
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