Picking Every Bowl: Music City Bowl, Purdue vs. Tennessee

Transperfect Music City Bowl
December 30
Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5), Nissan Stadium, Nashville, 3 p.m., ESPN
Tennessee -6 – O/U 64.5

Playing at home helps. Tennessee won’t be in Knoxville for this game, but they will be in friendly territory when they kick off in Nashville. Purdue may be well-represented, but you should expect to see a sea of orange and white, as well as a relentless chorus of “Rocky Top” throughout the game. That will make a difference, and it may be the difference in a game that could be a track meet. Both teams boast potent passing attacks. And while Purdue is good against the pass (Tennessee is definitely not), that was with some defenders who won’t be on the field. The Boilermakers will have to solve the Volunteers’ offense without defensive end George Karlaftis and cornerback Dedrick Mackey, and their losses will likely have a big impact on Purdue’s effectiveness. This should come down to a last possession for either team, but with Tennessee playing in very friendly confines, that will likely tip the balance in their favor.
Prediction: Tennessee 41-34
Result: Purdue 48-45 OT

Record:
Bowl season: SU – 16-10; ATS – 13-13-0; O/U – 11-15-0
Overall: SU – 608-191; ATS – 380-333-6; O/U – 342-365-12

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

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