Illinois will play No. 23 Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Here are early predictions for the college football matchup.

The Music City Bowl is just weeks away, and now the Illinois football team will be without our top defender against Tennessee.

Ticket prices for the Tennessee vs. Illinois start at $80 on SeatGeek. Prices in the lower bowl range from $155 to $354. To see a full list of ticket prices, visit SeatGeek. The Tennessee Vols will meet the Illinois Fighting Illini on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

Here's a quick rundown on when and where the 2025 Music City Bowl will be played. All matchups will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 7. All times Eastern and accurate as of Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 7:34 p.m. Date: Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m.

Luke Altmyer's Illinois Fighting Illini will be taking on Tennessee in the Music City Bowl, and the star quarterback announced his plans.

The is the final year of the contract with the SEC and Big Ten for the bowl, which is headed into its 28th year at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Dec. 30 (4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). The 2025 participants will be announced Dec. 7. While this is the final year of the SEC and Big Ten contracts with the Music City Bowl, those deals may be extended.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer and linebacker Gabe Jacas made their decisions about playing in the Illini's final game. What is the fallout?

Last year, Tennessee played Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff, losing 42-17. Prior to that, Tennessee won its last two bowl games: the Citrus Bowl against Iowa and the Orange Bowl against Clemson.

It won't just be Tennessee missing star players in the bowl game. Illinois will be missing star linebacker Gabe Jacas, who had 11 sacks, as he has begun to prep for the NFL Draft. Star left tackle JC Davis will also miss the Music City Bowl for Illinois and start his NFL Draft journey.