The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl has put together an interesting ACC vs. SEC matchup when the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and University of Tennessee Volunteers clash at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday (6:30 pm ET, ESPN) The Tar Heels became bowl qualified with an 8-4 record, despite starting the season with multiple player suspensions. Tennessee overachieved with a 6-6 record, under the direction of coach Derek Dooley, the Vols third head coach in as many years. Be sure to get the latest College Football Point Spreads for all the 2010-11 bowl season.
North Carolina, an early oddsmakers choice, opened the Tar Heels as 2 1/2-chalk favorites, a line that's since been bet down to a PICK by gameday. A betting total of 50 1/2-combined points has been posted at most sports wagering sites.
Betting trends currently show 53 percent of spreads wagers have fallen on Tennessee, while 85 percent of moneyline bets are on the Vols as well. The OVER is getting a small majority (52 percent) of the action on the totals board.
Tennessee, with its strong fan backing, will play in front of a partison crowd. Vols nation is thrilled their team is in a bowl at all after losing six of their first eight games. After their slow start, Dooley replaced quarterback Matt Simms as starting quarterback with Tyler Bray. The rest is history as the Vols battled to become bowl eligible.
North Carolina's season wasn't one of wine and roses either as they were hit by multiple suspensions because of illegial contact with Sports Agents. Four players were declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA, the most notable Defensive Tackle Marvin Austin. During the season North Carolina had 14 players miss at least one game.
Music City Bowl Predictions: Tennessee has improved greatly since the beginning of the season, but Butch Davis and his coaching staff at North Carolina have done a miraculous coaching job in the face of adversity. Oddsmakers were probably correct three weeks ago when they originally lined the Tar Heels as favorites. North Carolina will win this game as a PICK.
