CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois football team has accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, it was announced Sunday.
Illinois will play Tennessee at Nissan Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 4:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.
Illinois qualified for the 22nd bowl game in program history and the third under head coach Bret Bielema. The Fighting Illini will play in the Music City Bowl for the first time in program history.
“There’s a lot to celebrate and look forward to,” Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman said.
Bielema is the first head coach in Illinois history to win eight or more games three times and he will look to become the first coach in Illinois history to win nine or more games twice. In 17 years as a head coach, Bielema has led 13 of his teams – including this year’s Illinois squad – to bowl games.
Bielema’s 36 wins through the last five years are the most ever by an Illini head coach in his first five years.
The Illini have tied the team record for wins over a two-year period with 18, while Bielema will tie the Illinois record for bowls coached with his third. Bielema is looking to become the first head coach in Illinois history to win bowls in back-to-back seasons.
“It’s amazing what has happened here over the last five years,” Whitman said.
The last of those wins came in what Whitman dubbed “Snow-mageddon,” as Illinois defeated Northwestern 20-13 in its regular season finale on Nov. 29. During Sunday’s press conference, Whitman thanked the UI football staff for its efforts in removing snow on what was the snowiest football game in Gies Memorial Stadium history.
“It was an incredible effort by so many different to have this game played under such adverse conditions,” Whitman said. “We had a lot of people who don’t have snow removal in their job description who were out here with their boots laced up and shovels in their hands helping to move snow around that building for hours that afternoon.”
A crowd of 53,317 was confined to the west stands of Gies Memorial Stadium.
“That was pretty cool to have that behind us in the backdrop,” Bielema said. “We prepared as much as humanly possible, but there’s nothing like being in that moment.”
That game served as senior day for the Illini seniors.
This year’s seniors have helped the Illini produce one of the best eras in program history. A win in Nashville would tie the Fighting Illini for its most wins over a five-year period since 1905.
“This has been such a special group who has changed the trajectory of Illinois football,” Whitman said. “This group of seniors arrived here with a vision for what this program could become, and I’ll be damned if they didn’t make that vision a reality.”
Along with Northwestern, Illinois’ defeated opponents include a University of Southern California team that finished 16th in the College Football Playoff rankings, along with ACC champion Duke and Mid-American Conference champion Western Michigan.
Two weeks after their win over USC, which succeeded Illinois hosting FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff show, the Illini hosted FOX’s pregame show again two weeks later prior to its game against top-ranked Ohio State, which the Buckeyes won 34-16.
Attendance for the USC and Ohio State games were each recorded as 60,670.
“The way our fans came out to be a part of that program in the pregame hours was really a memory that I’ll have for a long time, and I know many others will as well.”
The average attendance in 2025 was 58,350, the highest since 2009.
“It’s really special to see so many people come through the building,” Whitman said.
The Illini have a record of 12-2 at home in 2024-25, setting the program’s all-time record for wins at Gies Memorial Stadium over a two-year period.
“That’s a pretty amazing thing,” Bielema said.
Whitman and Bielema are expecting the fan support to expand into Nashville on Dec. 30.
On Saturday, the Illinois basketball team faced Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, winning 75-62 in front of a crowd of 16,157 that, despite being in Tennessee’s home state, featured plenty of Illini fans.
“I have every confidence they will be back down there in three weeks to cheer on our guys,” Whitman said.
Bielema was one of the many attendees at Saturday’s basketball game, as well as some fan parties in which he ran into several Illini fans.
“It was probably one of the great things for me as a head coach. The interaction with the fans was a great reminder of all the things that go around college athletics,” Bielema said. “There was a lot of orange and blue. It should be an awesome opportunity for us.”
Illinois (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten) will face off against Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC) on the gridiron for the first time in program history.
“That’ll be an exciting experience for us,” Whitman said. “We’re excited to play a high-profile opponent.”
“I think the guys are excited to play a good quality team that you don’t normally get to match up against,” Bielema added. “It gives our guys a chance to play against a quality opponent down the stretch.”
Under head coach Josh Heupel, who has coached the Volunteers since 2021, Tennessee has a record of 45-19, including 11 victories over teams ranked in the top 25.
Their quarterback, Joey Aguilar, has passed for 3,444 yards and 24 touchdowns.
“I’m super excited for this bowl game opportunity,” Bielema said. “Tennessee is a very gifted football team. They have a very dynamic quarterback. I’m just very impressed with them offensively. Josh is just a really gifted playcaller. Defensively, they’re a very opportunistic group. To have this matchup at this moment is pretty cool. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Illinois’ quarterback, Luke Altmyer, grew up in Starkville, Mississippi. His mother, Betsy Altmyer, reportedly told Bielema through text message that “half of Mississippi’s going to be there in Nashville.”
Bielema told reporters on Sunday he doesn’t “know anything about who’s playing and not playing.”
Last year, Illinois played the Citrus Bowl, winning 21-17 over South Carolina, with many returning players. This year, Bielema said he expects more turnover, especially after a signing day last Wednesday in which the Illini “signed the most decorative recruiting class in the program’s history,” according to Whitman.
“This is going to be an entirely different offseason,” Bielema said. “Last year, we had so many returning players. This year, we have a good amount of players who are returning, but I think it’ll be more about retention and acquisition.”