How to Watch Illinois vs. Tennessee: Music City Bowl Time, TV Channel, Live Stream – December 30, 2025

Published Dec. 30, 2025 1:29 a.m. ET

Data Skrive

The Music City Bowl will see Joey Aguilar and the Tennessee Volunteers hitting the field against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Want to watch this game? You can do so on ESPN.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports. Learn more about the Tennessee Volunteers and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

How to Watch Tennessee vs. Illinois

When: Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
TV Channel: ESPN
Streaming: FOX One + ESPN Bundle

Tennessee's 2025 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score
8/30/2025	vs. Syracuse	W 45-26
9/6/2025	vs. East Tennessee State	W 72-17
9/13/2025	vs. Georgia	L 44-41
9/20/2025	vs. UAB	W 56-24
9/27/2025	at Mississippi State	W 41-34
10/11/2025	vs. Arkansas	W 34-31
10/18/2025	at Alabama	L 37-20
10/25/2025	at Kentucky	W 56-34
11/1/2025	vs. Oklahoma	L 33-27
11/15/2025	vs. New Mexico State	W 42-9
11/22/2025	at Florida	W 31-11
11/29/2025	vs. Vanderbilt	L 45-24
12/30/2025	vs. Illinois	-

Tennessee 2025 Stats & Insights

Offensively, Tennessee has been a top-25 unit, ranking fourth-best in the FBS by putting up 482.0 yards per game. The defense ranks 89th (395.5 yards allowed per game).
Tennessee owns the fifth-best offense this season in terms of passing yards (307.2 passing yards per game), but ranks 20th-worst defensively (249.3 passing yards allowed per game).
Offensively, the Volunteers have been a top-25 unit, ranking sixth-best in the FBS by putting up 40.8 points per game. They rank 92nd on defense (28.8 points allowed per game).
The Volunteers are putting up 174.8 rushing yards per game on offense (49th in the FBS), and they rank 66th defensively with 146.3 rushing yards allowed per game.
On offense, Tennessee has been a top-25 unit in terms of third-down efficiency, ranking ninth-best in the FBS by averaging a 50.3% third-down percentage. The defense ranks 85th on defense (40.5% third-down conversion rate allowed).
With 21 forced turnovers (22nd in the FBS) against 15 turnovers committed (54th in the FBS), the Volunteers' +6 turnover margin ranks 27th in college football.

Tennessee 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Joey Aguilar	QB	3,444 YDS (66.8%) / 24 TD / 10 INT 104 RUSH YDS / 3 RUSH TD / 9.5 RUSH YPG
DeSean Bishop	RB	983 YDS / 14 TD / 81.9 YPG / 6 YPC 12 REC / 127 REC YDS / 0 REC TD / 15.9 REC YPG
Chris Brazzell II	WR	62 REC / 1,017 YDS / 9 TD / 84.8 YPG
Star Thomas	RB	529 YDS / 7 TD / 44.1 YPG / 5.6 YPC 10 REC / 98 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 14 REC YPG
Edrees Farooq	DB	58 TKL / 0 TFL / 2 INT / 2 PD
Edwin Spillman	LB	66 TKL / 3 TFL / 2.5 SACK / 1 INT
Arion Carter	LB	61 TKL / 3 TFL / 1.5 SACK
Joshua Josephs	DL	33 TKL / 3 TFL / 2 SACK

Illinois' 2025 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Score
8/29/2025	vs. Western Illinois	W 52-3
9/6/2025	at Duke	W 45-19
9/13/2025	vs. Western Michigan	W 38-0
9/20/2025	at Indiana	L 63-10
9/27/2025	vs. USC	W 34-32
10/4/2025	at Purdue	W 43-27
10/11/2025	vs. Ohio State	L 34-16
10/25/2025	at Washington	L 42-25
11/1/2025	vs. Rutgers	W 35-13
11/15/2025	vs. Maryland	W 24-6
11/22/2025	at Wisconsin	L 27-10
11/29/2025	vs. Northwestern	W 20-13
12/30/2025	vs. Tennessee	-

Illinois 2025 Stats & Insights

In terms of total yards, Illinois ranks 82nd in the FBS (370.3 total yards per game) and 50th on defense (350.7 total yards allowed per contest).
In terms of passing, Illinois ranks 56th in the FBS (239.1 passing yards per game) and 80th defensively (226.5 passing yards allowed per game).
From an offensive perspective, the Fighting Illini are putting up 29.3 points per contest (53rd-ranked). They rank 55th in the FBS on the other side of the ball (23.3 points given up per game).
The Fighting Illini are putting up 131.2 rushing yards per contest on offense this season (99th-ranked). Meanwhile, they are surrendering 124.2 rushing yards per game (34th-ranked) on defense.
Illinois' defense has been bottom-25 on third down this season, surrendering a 44.7% third-down conversion percentage, which ranks 16th-worst in the FBS. On the offensive side of the ball, it ranks 48th with a 44.7% third-down rate.
After forcing 15 turnovers (73rd in the FBS) and turning the ball over 11 times (12th in the FBS) this season, the Fighting Illini sport the 42nd-ranked turnover margin of +4.

Illinois 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Luke Altmyer	QB	2,811 YDS (68.1%) / 21 TD / 5 INT 188 RUSH YDS / 4 RUSH TD / 15.7 RUSH YPG
Hank Beatty	WR	64 REC / 826 YDS / 3 TD / 68.8 YPG
Kaden Feagin	RB	499 YDS / 7 TD / 41.6 YPG / 4.2 YPC 16 REC / 188 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 20.9 REC YPG
Collin Dixon	WR	33 REC / 538 YDS / 5 TD / 44.8 YPG
Gabe Jacas	LB	39 TKL / 6 TFL / 11 SACK
Matthew Bailey	DB	69 TKL / 3 TFL
Miles Scott	DB	43 TKL / 3 TFL / 1 SACK / 3 INT
Dylan Rosiek	LB	38 TKL / 2 TFL / 1 INT / 1 PD