Nebraska vs Tennessee Music City Bowl Lines, Betting Pick & TV Info

Posted by Henry Watkins on Wednesday,December 28, 2016 12:04, EDT in

For some teams, a bowl game is an opportunity to wash away some of the disappointment of the regular season, whilst also having a showcase game to bid farewell to seniors heading out the door to the NFL draft. This will certainly be the case for a Tennessee Volunteers game that came into the college football season full of promise, only to go on to have one of the strangest rides in the history of the program. They had a Hail Mary win over Georgia, a star player defecting, and a coach who crowned them as “The Champions of Life.” Like I said, a rather odd season. The Music City Bowl this coming Friday will pit the Volunteers against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and it will be the last chance for QB Joshua Dobbs to show everyone what he is made of. There is no doubt that he is a talented kid, but you can bet that he will want to leave the college ranks by putting on a display that everyone will remember. The Volunteers are coming in as a 6.5-point favorite.

Nebraska vs Tennessee Music City Bowl Lines, Betting Pick & TV Info

When: Friday, December 30 at 3:30 PM EST
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
TV: ESPN
Radio: Nebraska / Tennessee 
Live Stream: WatchESPN
NCAA Football Odds: Tennessee at -6½

Why bet on the Nebraska Cornhuskers?

In order for Nebraska to have any sort of success in this game, they are going to have to establish the ground game early. They are at their best when Terrell Newby is eating up yards on the ground, as that then opens up the passing game for Tommy Armstrong at QB. Nebraska will be delighted to have him under center for this one, as it can be argued that their season started to go south when Armstrong went down with an injury, and backup Ryker Fyfe struggled to fill in adequately enough. The Nebraska defense is a tough one, and finished the season #21 in the nation. They will be looking to limit the movement of Dobbs in the pocket, and they can keep this close if they do just that.

Why bet on the Tennessee Volunteers?

All eyes will be on Dobbs in his final game in Volunteer orange, but it may very well be the defense that turns the tide in this one. The Tennessee D was great at getting after the QB all season long, and they have the ability to force Armstrong into making poor choices. This could turn into a very long afternoon for the Cornhuskers if their O-line is unable to protect the QB and give him time to make plays. This seems like a game built for Dobbs, though, especially since he will be making his swan song appearance in the great state of Tennessee. I think there is a real chance he goes off and has a great one here.

Nebraska vs Tennessee Music City Bowl Betting Pick: Tennessee Volunteers

This is, for all intents and purposes, a home game for Tennessee, and they will want to end a disappointing year with a statement game in front of their own fans. I like the Volunteers to win this one going away.

Nebraska Cornhuskers 20 Tennessee Volunteers 33