The Tennessee Volunteers (7-5) meet the Purdue Boilermakers (8-4) Thursday for the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Tennessee vs. Purdue odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
The Volunteers have come alive offensively with 45 or more points in three of their last four games. QB Hendon Hooker, who transferred in from Virginia Tech this past offseason, has thrown for 2,567 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions while running for 5 more scores.
The Boilermakers have racked up 28 or more points in each of their last five outings, going 4-1 SU/ATS with only a loss and non-cover at then-No.5 Ohio State Nov. 13 during the stretch. Purdue has hit the Over in three of its last four games.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Tennessee vs. Purdue odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:48 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Tennessee -270 (bet $270 to win $100) | Purdue +210 (bet $100 to win $210)
- Against the spread (ATS): Tennessee -7.5 (-102) | Purdue +7.5 (-122)
- Over/Under (O/U): 66.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Tennessee vs. Purdue odds, lines, picks and predictions
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Prediction
Tennessee 41, Purdue 29
Money line
Tennessee (-270) is going to get it done playing a bowl in its home state, but risking over two and a half times your potential return is just not a good value.
PASS, and look to the spread.
Against the spread
The play is TENNESSEE -7.5 (-102), as Purdue had star receiver David Bell opt-out to prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft.
He was the go-to receiver for QB Aidan O’Connell and while WRs Jackson Anthrop and Milton Wright are talented, they’re not Bell. The Boilermakers are going to miss his 93 catches, 1,286 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.
Over/Under
The OVER 66.5 (-107) is worth a small-unit play, although Bell’s absence makes me nervous about Purdue scoring enough points to get this done.
However, the Vols pass defense allowed 251.4 yards per game — 103rd in the nation — so O’Connell should find plenty of wide-open spaces to operate. The
Tennessee offense was also red-hot down the stretch, so we could see a track meet in the Music City.
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