The Tennessee Volunteers are 0-6 straight up and 1-4-1 against the spread in their last six games played in the month of December. The Volunteers hope to pick up their first December win since 2001 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Music City Bowl.
2016 Music City Bowl odds: Tennessee increasing favorite against Nebraska
The Volunteers will try to break their December slump on Friday against the Cornhuskers in the Music City Bowl.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee is a 6-point favorite in Nashville at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Steady betting action has come in on the Volunteers to move the line three full points from its opener of Tennessee -3.
The Volunteers had a team of destiny vibe through the first five games of the season, putting together a 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS run highlighted by multiple fourth-quarter comebacks. But the magic ran out in October as Tennessee lost three straight games, eventually settling for an 8-4 SU and 5-7 ATS record.
Tennessee’s high-powered offense averaged a respectable 36.3 points per game, but inconsistency plagued this team throughout the season.
In Tennessee's last 14 games as a favorite of a touchdown or less, the Volunteers are just 6-8 SU and 5-9 ATS per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Betting Line / Total: Tennessee -6 / 58.5 Points
Trend: The total has gone over in Tennessee’s last eight games against teams with winning records.
Trend: Nebraska is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games in December.
Nebraska’s defense allowed only 22.8 points per game this season and ranked 21st in the nation in total yards surrendered with 351 per game. The Cornhuskers went 9-0 SU and 6-2-1 ATS as a favorite this season, but lost all three of their games as an underdog and went 1-2 ATS in those games with blowout losses to Ohio State and Iowa. The team is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games played in December.
Friday’s total is set at 58.5 points. The UNDER is 11-4 in Nebraska’s last 15 postseason appearances and 8-2 in its last 10 games overall.
The levels of consistency between these two programs are in sharp contrast, with Mike Riley routinely getting the most out of the Cornhuskers while Butch Jones could rarely get four strong quarters out of his group.
Tennessee has the clear talent edge in this game, especially on offense, but Nebraska is the type of team that can punish the Volunteers if they get off to a sloppy start.
What direction this game goes will be heavily influenced by how focused and ready Tennessee is in what should be a very Volunteers-friendly atmosphere at Nissan Stadium.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Tennessee Volunteers
When: Friday, December 30, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
