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How to watch and stream
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Gambling Info
(Line, O/U and records ATS come via OddsShark)
Spread: Tennessee opened as 3-point favorites. The line jumped up to 7, 7.5, and 8 in some locations.
Records ATS: Nebraska 7-4-1 | Tennessee 5-7
O/U: It opened at 61, but it docked down to 57, 57.5, 58, and 58.5 in some locations.
Inside the Numbers for the Music City Bowl
| Category | Nebraska | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Nebraska | Tennessee |
| S&P+ Offense | 30.2 (62nd) | 35.2 (32nd) |
| S&P+ Defense | 22.4 (25th) | 29.3 (65th) |
| Rushing S&P+ Offense | 97.9 (85th) | 124.3 (9th) |
| Rushing S&P+ Defense | 105.2 (47th) | 95.5 (85th) |
| Rush Success Rate Offense | 44.9% (53rd) | 45.3% (50th) |
| Rush Success Rate Defense | 37.6% (27th) | 46.9% (105th) |
| Passing S&P+ Offense | 116.1 (28th) | 127 (12th) |
| Passing S&P+ Defense | 106.5 (42nd) | 102.2 (55th) |
| Pass Success Rate Offense | 41.7% (55th) | 45.4% (24th) |
| Pass Success Rate Defense | 41.6% (70th) | 37.6% (33rd) |
(Numbers via Football Study Hall)
3 things to watch
The Nebraska run game
The Huskers haven’t fared all too well on the ground this season. While senior Terrell Newby has rushed for over 860 yards on the season entering the Music City Bowl, the team is ranked 85th in Rushing S&P+ and just 53rd in Rush Success Rate. The Cornhuskers have also found the end zone just 22 times on the season. Comparatively, Tennessee has 27 rushing touchdowns on the year with Josh Dobbs and Alvin Kamara each scoring nine times. However, the Volunteers’ defense is far from a stalwart. In fact they’ve looked plain bad at times. They sit at 85th in Rushing S&P+ defense, so Nebraska could have a huge day on the ground if Tennessee meets their usual, porous expectations.
Aerial assault
The Music City Bowl could be a passer’s delight. Both Nebraska and Tennessee have Top 30 S&P+ Passing offenses this season, with the Huskers ranking 28th and the Vols sitting at 12th. Both defenses are good, not great, checking in at 42nd and 55th. The Volunteers do hold an edge in success rate, ranking 33rd in the country while Nebraska is sitting at 70th in that respective category. Opposing offenses have had a success rate of 41.6 percent while throwing the ball against the Nebraska defense, so we should probably expect Dobbs to throw the ball with ease to his targets on Friday afternoon.
Ending on high notes
Nebraska and Tennessee’s seasons were both on two separate spectrums. The Huskers can certainly feel good about where they landed after being highly ranked this season in the polls for the first time in a while. The Volunteers meanwhile reek of disappointment after failing to win the SEC East and maintaining their division title drought. That disappointment was piled on following the Vols’ loss to Vanderbilt at the end of the season. Both teams can end their season on high notes, and if they do, the perspectives will likely remain extremely different.