Jesse said it on the podcast and it does feel like there will be points scored in this game. Indiana is a solid team that has been competitive against everyone in the Big 10 aside from Michigan and Ohio State. The Hoosiers offensively regardless of who has played quarterback has been effective all season particularly throwing the football. Can the Vols get to quarterback Peyton Ramsey? Indiana has given up 26 sacks this season. Look for Jeremy Pruitt to dial up some blitzes and look for Daniel Bituli off the edge in obvious passing situations.

On the flip side, how does Tennessee’s offensive line handle Indiana’s multiple look defensive front. The Hoosiers will move around and show a lot of different alignments, stunts and twists up front. Handle it well and there are opportunities in the run game and in the vertical passing game. Struggle with it and the Vols will find themselves in a lot of third and long situations. Does Brandon Kennedy play? How effective is he if he does? It’s a key story to watch early in the game. Can Jarrett Guarantano get into a rhythm. He was terrific against Missouri. He was average at best against Vanderbilt. Which JG do the Vols get tonight?

I think Tennessee’s offense makes some explosive plays and I think this defense's speed gives the Indiana enough problems.

Tennessee 34, Indiana 27

Some teams get motivated for bowl games while others go through the motions. I get the feeling Tennessee is very much engaged in this game coming up tomorrow. The key guys on this team seem really focused on finishing it off the right way.

I’m not gonna pick Tennessee to roll in this game but in my opinion they will get more stops than Indiana. The Hoosiers are a solid bunch who believes they can play with anyone. They have proved that for most of the year.

Jarrett Guarantano has the ability to make some big plays in this game if he is seeing the field well. I think Jim Chaney will use Dom Wood-Anderson and then use Marquez Callaway more across the middle in the first half with no Jauan.

Indiana puts up fight but the Vols make it six straight.

Tennessee 30, Indiana 20

This game doesn’t exactly have a ton of juice.

Tennessee is riding high after ending the season on a five-game winning streak, but its 18-point win over Vandy feels like an eternity ago.

Meanwhile, Indiana won eight games for the first time in more than 25 years, but the Hoosiers’ best win might’ve been over a 4-8 Purdue team.

Indiana has some real playmakers on offense, and with so many guys from Florida, they’re not exactly a squad that runs in quick sand like a lot of Big Ten teams. Whop Philyor can play, and sophomore tight end Peyton Hendershot is a matchup problem, too.

And yet, Tennessee’s secondary has been salty the back-half of the season, and the Vols could make the Hoosiers one-dimensional — especially if Indiana tailback Steve Scott is limited with an ankle injury. Getting pressure, something the Hoosiers have been good at limiting, is a key for the Vols. .

Despite Jauan Jennings’ first-half absence, Tennessee should have opportunities to make some explosive plays in the passing game against a Hoosiers secondary that’s been vulnerable to deep shots (tied with Rutgers for second-to-last in Big Ten on passing plays allowed over 30 yards).

In the end, I see the Vols getting just enough stops, and win an entertaining Gator Bowl to cap an impressive last two months of the season..

Tennessee 28, Indiana 25.

Tennessee may not have notched any monumental upsets this fall (though the Vols did win four SEC games as underdogs) but I really think that Indiana’s 8-4 record was padded quite a bit by some less than impressive wins. Their five Big Ten wins came against conference opponents that finished the year a combined 9-37 in Big Ten play. Their other three wins were over Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Connecticut and they needed overtime against a 4-8 Purdue team to avoid closing the season on a three-game losing streak.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but color me unimpressed.

I also don’t mean to suggest that Tennessee’s program is to the point where the Vols can just show up and beat a decent opponent without playing well.

What I do believe is that Tennessee is on a roll. This team gained confidence week-by-week over the last half of the season and winning this bowl game and continuing to build on that momentum means something to this group.

I think Tennessee’s big receivers make some big plays in the passing game. I think the Vols win the turnover battle (remember Indiana has just 5 picks on the year) and I think they do enough in the secondary and with their pass rush to slow down what is a legitimately nice Indiana passing game.

SEC speed almost always seems to show up in this mid-tier match-ups between these two conferences. It certainly has the last three times Tennessee went bowling; against Nebraska, Northwestern and Iowa respectively. I’m guessing it does this week as well and Tennessee finishes the season at 8-5 and on a clear upward trajectory.

Tennessee 31, Indiana 20