Tennessee Volunteers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/30/2025

Game Time: 5:30 pm ET, Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Venue:  Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -2.5, Illinois +2.5; Over/Under:  61.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -2.5, Illinois +2.5; Over/Under:  61.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Tennessee -2.5, Illinois +2.5; Over/Under:  61.5 points

Tennessee Volunteers:  8-4 (4-4) (9th place, SEC)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  8-4 (5-4) (7th place, Big Ten)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Jim Feist is on a HOT STREAK in college football on a 17-7 CFB RUN for +$9,360 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Tennessee Volunteers:  lost their last game at home against the Vanderbilt Commodores 45-24.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  won their last game at home against the Northwestern Wildcats 20-13.

Tennessee is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 3-1 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, and they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Vanderbilt 45-24. Joey Aguilar was the starting QB and he completed 29/44 passes for 299 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. DeSean Bishop led the team in rushing yards with 97 and 2 TDs. Chris Brazzell II led the receivers with 91 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Andre Turrentine led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander each led the defense in sacks with 0.5. Edrees Farooq and Ty Redmond each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Illinois is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 5-4 record in their conference games too. They are 6-1 in their home games, 2-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Northwestern 20-13. Luke Altmyer was the starting QB and he completed 10/15 passes for 136 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Ca'Lil Valentine led the team in rushing yards with 74 and 1 TD. Collin Dixon led the receivers with 53 receiving yards on 2 receptions. Matthew Bailey led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Gabe Jacas led the defense in sacks with 2. Miles Scott came away with 2 interceptions while Torrie Cox Jr. came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Tennessee listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Tennessee has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 4-4 conference record which had them right in the middle of the SEC. They have also played in a neutral site game this year and they are 1-0. Meanwhile, Illinois has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 5-4 conference record which had them in the top half of the Big Ten. They haven't played in any neutral site games this season so this will be their first, playing in the Music City Bowl. Illinois came into the season with a lot of hopes this year, but that quickly evaporated with some of their performances in the Big Ten. They just couldn't compete with the top teams in the conference. Their defense looked really good to end the regular season, but their offense was not great and that is going to be an issue against this Tennessee offense. Tennessee ended the season with a 45-24 loss at home to Vanderbilt, but they will be looking to get that bad taste out of their mouth and end the year with a positive. Their defense hasn't looked good all season as they give up a ton of points in their games, but their offense has looked great and they have one of the best offenses in the SEC. Illinois is going to give up points against this Tennessee offense and as bad as this Tennessee defense has been this year, they will be able to get some stops against this up and down Illinois offense. The best way to place a bet here is on Tennessee to cover the spread in this game. 

Tennessee Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Tuesday, December 30, 2025 (5:30 pm ET start time) is Tennessee 35 Illinois 24.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Tennessee Volunteers Illinois Fighting Illini prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.

Tennessee Volunteers: 3-11 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 8 or more passing yards/att. 6-12 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 0-3 ATS off a home loss against a conference rival. 11-6 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 4-0 UNDER off an upset loss to a conference rival as a favorite.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 19-10 ATS in all lined games. 6-2 ATS in non-conference games. 5-2 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 4-1 UNDER when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 6-0 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 

Tennessee Volunteers:  J. McCoy (CB) Out - Knee. S. Walton (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Ross (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Kitselman (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Gibson III (CB) Out - Undisclosed.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  G. Jacas (LB) Out - Personal. M. Bailey (CB) Out - Shoulder. L. Zardzin (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. X. Scott (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Schuster (OG) Out - Undisclosed. L. Farrell (TE) Out - Undisclosed. T. Cox (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Forster (RB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Hirdes (OG) Out - Knee. G. Smith (TE) Out - Undisclosed.

"We appreciate the opportunity to send our seniors out with one final game in our home state in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl. The opportunity to prepare and compete against an outstanding Big Ten opponent the caliber of Illinois is one we look forward to. Vol Nation has been unwavering in its loyalty and support of our players. It's something we never take for granted. We are excited to go play in front of them one more time in 2025 in Nashville." - Josh Heupel on his team playing in the Music City Bowl.

"Thank you to the Nashville Sports Council and CEO Scott Ramsey for the invitation to this year's Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl. We are excited to accept the invitation to a first-class bowl game against a quality SEC opponent in Tennessee. This is an outstanding opportunity for our program and our fans to celebrate one of the most accomplished groups of seniors in Illinois history with a national spotlight. We will see all the Illini FamILLy in Nashville." - Bret Bielema on his team playing in the Music City Bowl.

WR Matthews, Mike

WR Brazzell II, Chris

WR Staley, Braylon

TE Kitselman, Miles

QB Aguilar, Joey

RB Bishop, DeSean

WR Clement, Hudson

WR Dixon, Collin

WR Beatty, Hank

TE Arkin, Tanner

QB Altmyer, Luke

RB Feagin, Kaden

Passing: Joey Aguilar (3,444)

Rushing: DeSean Bishop (983)

Receiving: Chris Brazzell II (1,017)

Touchdowns: DeSean Bishop (14)

Passing: Luke Altmyer (2,811)

Rushing: Ca'Lil Valentine (549)

Receiving: Hank Beatty (826)

Touchdowns: Kaden Feagin (9)

Coaches:

Tennessee Volunteers: Josh Heupel (5th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Bret Bielema (5th season)