Tennessee vs. Illinois

The oddsmaker pegged this Music City Bowl right. Tennessee is better than Illinois with its high-octane offense. The Volunteers are also helped by the game being played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. That is just a three-hour drive from Knoxville, Tenn., Illinois' Luke Altmyer is a good quarterback, but Tennessee has the edge behind center with Joey Aguilar, who completed 67% of his passes for 3,444 yards and 24 TDs. The Volunteers were fifth in the nation in yards gained, sixth in scoring, and sixth in passing. Altmyer threw for 2,811 yards and 21 scores. Illinois ranked 89th in yards gained and averaged 11 fewer points per game than Tennessee. Both teams had opt-outs of essential players. The Volunteers will be minus big-play wide receiver Chris Brazzell II, leading tackler Arion Carter, RB Peyton Lewis, and cornerback Colton Hood. The Illini took a severe hit defensively. They will be missing star tackle JC Davis, Gabe Jacas, the Big Ten leader in sacks, and safety Matthew Bailey. The Volunteers have the more talented backups. Take Tennessee on the moneyline.