The Hoosiers aim to tie a school record with their ninth victory when Indiana takes on the Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday in the 2020 Gator Bowl. The Hoosiers are 8-4, with all of their losses to Big Ten foes that were ranked at the time, and they have won five of their last seven. They closed the regular season with a 44-41 win at Purdue in two overtimes after losses to Penn State and Michigan. Indiana boasts plenty of talent at the skill positions, and the defense has been opportunistic. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.

The Volunteers are up to 3.5-point favorites in the latest Tennessee vs. Indiana odds after the line opened at 1.5, while the over-under for total points scored is 54.5. Before considering your Indiana vs. Tennessee picks, see the 2020 Gator Bowl predictions from SportsLine expert Emory Hunt.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back at Louisiana. He knows the game from both a playing and coaching perspective.

The football analyst has been SportsLine's No. 1 college football expert this season. Hunt is 102-61 on college football against-the-spread picks, returning a whopping profit of $3,562 to his followers. Moreover, he has had a strong feel for both of these teams. Hunt is on a 6-2 run on picks involving Indiana and has gone 8-3 on Tennessee, a combined 14-5 record picking these teams against the spread. Anyone who has followed him has seen huge returns. 

Now, Hunt has locked in on Tennessee vs. Indiana from every angle and released another confident against-the-spread pick. Go to SportsLine to see it. Here are the college football lines and trends for Indiana vs. Tennessee:

  • Tennessee vs. Indiana spread: Volunteers -3.5
  • Tennessee vs. Indiana over-under: 54.5 
  • Tennessee vs. Indiana money line: Volunteers -164, Hoosiers +140
  • UT: WR Jauan Jennings (suspended for first half) is averaging 21 yards per catch over the last five games.
  • IU: QB Peyton Ramsey has 925 passing yards and four TDs in three games since taking over full-time.

Why Tennessee can cover

Hunt knows that the Vols, who are 6-5 against the spread this season versus FBS teams, are playing strong defense and making big plays on special teams. They have blocked three kicks, rank fifth in the nation in punt return average at 16.5 yards, and have returned three for scores. Marquez Callaway is the primary return man and has one TD, while fellow receiver Brandon Johnson and linebacker Daniel Bituli have the others.

Bituli, whose score came on a deflected kick, leads the defense with 80 tackles and has three sacks for Tennessee, which is 4-2 against the spread following a victory this season. Callaway is fourth in the nation with a 21.2 yards-per-catch average, and fellow wideout Jauan Jennings has 942 yards and eight touchdowns.

Why Indiana can cover

The Vols might be on a roll, but that doesn't mean they will cover the Tennessee vs. Indiana spread in the Gator Bowl 2020. Hunt is well aware that the Hoosiers are 5-4 against the spread in non-conference games under coach Tom Allen. The offense averages 443.6 yards per game, led by quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who completes 69.2 percent of his passes. Junior receiver Whop Philyor is the primary target and had 138 yards in the last game to give him 1,001 for the season, while tight end Peyton Hendershot has 46 catches for 555 yards. 

The Hoosiers' defense also can make a difference, scoring two touchdowns and recovering 10 fumbles. The unit averages 6.3 tackles for loss per game and has 26 sacks, led by end Allen Stallings with five and tackle Jerome Johnson with four.

How to make Tennessee vs. Indiana picks

We can tell you Hunt is leaning over the total, but his much stronger play is on the spread. He's found a critical factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard in the Gator Bowl. He's sharing what it is, and who to back, only at SportsLine. 

Who wins Tennessee vs. Indiana in the Gator Bowl 2020? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Indiana vs. Tennessee spread you should be all over, all from the football expert who's 14-5 on picks involving these teams.