Tennessee football is set to wrap up its 2025 campaign with a postseason showdown against Illinois in the Music City Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
ET on Tuesday, Dec. 30, with ESPN’s familiar trio of Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic on the call. It’s the third time this crew will be covering a Vols game this season, having previously handled Tennessee’s win over Kentucky and their regular-season finale loss to Vanderbilt.
This bowl game marks Tennessee’s first true evening kickoff of the year, which is a bit of an anomaly for the Vols in 2025. Over the course of the regular season, Tennessee played six afternoon games and four under the lights-those primetime matchups came against Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Alabama.
The Vols also had a pair of early kickoffs, taking on Syracuse and UAB at noon. But this 5:30 p.m. start in Nashville offers a different stage-one that could give this team a chance to close the year on a high note in front of a national audience.
The Vols enter the Music City Bowl at 8-4 overall, with a 4-4 mark in SEC play. They handled business against some of the conference’s struggling programs, including Florida and Arkansas, but couldn’t quite break through against the league’s upper tier.
Tennessee went 0-for-4 against ranked opponents this season, a stat that stings a bit when evaluating the team's progress under the current regime. The wins were expected; the missed opportunities against top-tier competition are what linger.
On the other side, Illinois also comes in at 8-4, finishing 5-4 in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini entered the year with a fair amount of buzz after a strong 10-3 finish in 2024 that included a bowl win over South Carolina.
But this season didn’t quite live up to that billing. A 53-point blowout loss to Indiana raised eyebrows, and defeats at the hands of Ohio State, Washington, and Wisconsin kept Illinois from climbing back into the national conversation.
Their best win came in late September when they knocked off USC-a victory that still carries weight, even if USC had its own inconsistencies.
This will be the first time Tennessee and Illinois have ever met on the football field, adding a layer of intrigue to an already compelling bowl matchup. While the programs are more familiar with each other on the hardwood-having faced off in men’s basketball each of the past three seasons-this gridiron clash offers a clean slate and a chance to set the tone for 2026.
For Tennessee, the Music City Bowl offers more than just a chance to hit the nine-win mark. It’s an opportunity to build momentum, develop younger talent, and close out the season with a statement.
For Illinois, it’s a shot at redemption after a season that didn’t quite meet expectations. Both teams have something to prove-and under the lights in Nashville, they’ll get their chance.