Illinois Football news: Illini will face Tennessee in the Music City Bowl

NEWS: Illinois football will head to Nashville to play the Tennessee Volunteers in the Music City Bowl. The news was reported by Brett McMurphy of On3. This will be a great opportunity for the Illini for multiple reasons. First, it is another opportunity to face a quality SEC program in the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols went 8-4 on the year, and nearly beat two CFP teams in Georgia and Oklahoma. Their quarterback, Joey Aguilar, will prove to be a fun matchup vs Luke Altmyer as well.

Most importantly, Nashville is a relatively short trip for most Illini fans. The Illini basketball team also played Tennessee in Nashville, and the Illini nation was extremely well-represented. As Illinois Football heads to Nashville itself, I expect a majority of those fans to head back to Nashville to represent.

What to expect?

Illinois football will have quite a bit of time to prepare for this matchup. Tennessee is a high-powered offense, so expect a bit of a shootout down in Nashville. The biggest question is who decides to sit out of this bowl game on both sides. For Illinois, Luke Altmyer, Gabe Jacas, J.C. Davis, and Melvin Priestly are all looking at NFL Draft preparations after this bowl game. If any of those guys sit out, that leaves a major hole for the Illini to fill.

Last year, senior wide receiver Pat Bryant chose to sit out of the bowl game before being a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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