TransPerfect Music City Bowl – Purdue vs. Tennessee Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview

The TransPerfect Music City Bowl kicks off Thursday, December 30, between the Tennessee Volunteers (7-5) and the Purdue Boilermakers (8-4). 

The SEC has struggled out of the gates in bowl season to the tune of an ugly 0-4 record. We believe that Tennessee has a good shot at turning the tide around in a matchup against a depleted Purdue team. The Boilermakers will be without both of their star players in wide receiver David Bell and defensive end George Karlaftis. The two announced their intentions to enter the NFL Draft and will be absent for this contest. Those are two very significant blows. 

Receiver Milton Wright didn’t make the trip to Nashville, meaning that Purdue will be significantly hampered for this contest. Even if the Boilermakers were at full strength, a strong case could be made that the wrong team was favored when this line opened. Tennessee will give this Purdue defense problems from an athleticism standpoint. The only other time Purdue played a potent offense this season, the defense allowed a whopping 59 points in a blowout loss to Ohio State.

Josh Heupel brought his offensive system to Tennessee, and the results were immediate. The Volunteers improved their scoring average by 17 points over a year ago. Virginia Tech transfer quarterback Hendon Hooker turned out to be a perfect fit for the system and will be back on campus for another year. 

We’re going to go with Tennessee as our official pick. We also have a strong lean to the over, as Tennessee should score plenty, and the defense has proven brittle at multiple points this season. The Volunteers operate at a fast tempo, and we’ve already seen multiple times this bowl season that teams aren’t interested in tackling.

Picks: Tennessee -6.5 and Over 65

All CFB game predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid

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