CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — 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. CT 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.Â
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.Â
"We are pleased to accept the invitation to play in the 2025 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl and represent the Big Ten Conference in Nashville," said Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. "I want to congratulate Coach Bielema, our players, coaches and staff, and all of our fans, donors and other key partners for continuing to elevate our program. This bowl trip is a well-earned reward for another successful season and also presents a tremendous opportunity to continue re-writing our records book. We look forward to thousands of the Illini FamILLy joining us for a memorable experience in Nashville."
Illinois will head to Nashville looking for win #9, which would give the program back-to-back seasons with 9+ victories for the first time in program history. 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.
"Thank you to the Nashville Sports Council and CEO Scott Ramsey for the invitation to this year's Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl," said Bielema. "We are excited to accept the invitation to a first-class bowl game against a quality SEC opponent in Tennessee. This is an outstanding opportunity for our program and our fans to celebrate one of the most accomplished groups of seniors in Illinois history with a national spotlight. We will see all the Illini FamILLy in Nashville."
This year's seniors have helped the Illini produce one of the best eras in program history. Illinois has won 36 games during Bielema's five-year tenure, tied for the fourth most in program history over a five-year stretch and the most ever by a head coach in his first five seasons. A win in Nashville would tie the Fighting Illini for its most wins over a five-year period since 1905.Â
Bielema is the first head coach in Illinois history to win 8+ games three times and he will look to become the first coach in Illinois history to win 9+ 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.
For more information about Illinois' trip to the 2025 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, visit FightingIllini.com/2025MusicCityBowl.
Ticket Info
Ticket requests in the Illinois seating block are open to I FUND members and season ticket holders at FightingIllini.com! The deadline for I FUND members and season ticket holders to request tickets is Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. CT. If inventory remains following the priority request window, tickets will be made available for purchase to the general public on Monday, Dec. 15 at 12 p.m. CT. For more information on ticket requests and the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, visit FightingIllini.com/2025MusicCityBowl.
Official Illinois Fan Travel PackagesÂ
Official Illinois Music City Bowl Tour travel packages are coming soon! Click here to receive updates on official bowl travel.Â
