How to Watch: Tennessee vs. Illinois In the Music City Bowl Game

How to watch the final Tennessee football game of the 2025 season.

Tennessee linebacker Jordan Burns (11) walks to the locker room after the NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt on Nov. 29, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are one of the better teams in the nation when it comes to dealing with the cards that they were dealt, as the Vols showed all season long that they will be one of the many teams to watch moving forward, as they battled a lot of adversity and made the most of it.

Whether that be on the offense side of the football or on the defensive side of the football, the Vols have battled injuries and many other things. The Vols will now be battling even more adversity, as they will be playing the final game of the season on Tuesday, and the game will be against one of the better bowl teams in the nation. Not only will this game be one to watch, but the Vols will be without many of their stars, as they will be without those who opted out.

The Vols will be playing against the Illinois Fighting Illini, who have a lot of talent on their roster and have become a notable team on the offensive side of the football, as they have had plenty of talent to throw the ball to. The Fighting Illini is led by Luke Altmyer (the starting QB). He finished the regular season with over 2,800 passing yards and is clean with the ball. He only had five interceptions on the season and finished the season with 21 passing touchdowns.

His top target this season was Hank Beatty, who finished the regular season with over 800 yards, but didn't have a ton of touchdowns to show for it. He finished the season with three touchdowns, but he will be one of the wide receivers who could be a headache for this Vols defense.

The Vols will also be tasked with stopping a heavy run game that has shown flashes throughout the season, as they have a total of 20 TDs across the board. The Vols will also need to move the needle on the offensive side through their rushing attack, as they have been one of the more consistent scoring teams with the rushing attack. You can also expect Aguilar to make one last effort to finish his senior season with 200 yards in every game.

Here is how you can watch the game.

How to Watch: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

Nov 22, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) celebrates after they beat the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

• When: Tuesday, December 30th, 2025
• Time: 5:30 PM EST
• Location: Nissan Stadium (Titans Home Stadium)
• Line: Tennessee -2.5
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: ESPN App

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