Auburn -6.5 (-110) over Maryland
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- Maryland will be without starting QB Taulia Tagovailoa for this game, which will negatively impact their offense.
- Auburn almost beat Alabama in the Iron Bowl and they will build on that in their bowl game.
The Music City Bowl is one of the last games on the college football bowl calendar each season despite not being around for too long. That position on the schedule typically means a quality matchup between two power conference teams. Here, we look at the history of the Music City Bowl and break down the matchup from this season’s edition of the game also.
2023 Music City Bowl Analysis
Our Music City Bowl matchup for 2023 is Auburn vs Maryland in a matchup between the SEC and Big Ten. Both of these teams had campaigns that were underwhelming relative to what they had hoped for this year. But we should see one team with a distinctive edge in this matchup, thanks in large part to the opt-out of Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa threw for well over 3,000 yards this season for the Terrapins, throwing 25 touchdown passes as well. Without him, the Terps will have to try to generate some offense against an Auburn team that has been inconsistent for most of this year. But with Auburn nearly beating Alabama last time out, we know what the Tigers are capable of.
Music City Bowl History
The first Music City Bowl was played in 1998 between Virginia and Alabama. It currently has tie-ins with the Big Ten and SEC, with the Big East and ACC having conference tie-ins with this game in the past as well. Below you will find the full list of Music City Bowl matchups from 1998 to the most recently completed edition of the contest.
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team |
| 12/29/98 | Virginia Tech | Alabama |
| 12/29/99 | Syracuse | Kentucky |
| 12/28/00 | West Virginia | Ole Miss |
| 12/28/01 | Boston College | No. 16 Georgia |
| 12/30/02 | Minnesota | No. 25 Arkansas |
| 12/31/03 | Auburn | Wisconsin |
| 12/31/04 | Minnesota | Alabama |
| 12/30/05 | Virginia | Minnesota |
| 12/29/06 | Kentucky | Clemson |
| 12/31/07 | Kentucky | Florida State |
| 12/31/08 | Vanderbilt | Boston College |
| 12/27/09 | Clemson | Kentucky |
| 12/30/10 | North Carolina | Tennessee |
| 12/30/11 | Mississippi State | Wake Forest |
| 12/31/12 | Vanderbilt | NC State |
| 12/30/13 | Ole Miss | Georgia Tech |
| 12/30/14 | Notre Dame | No. 22 LSU |
| 12/30/15 | Louisville | Texas A&M |
| 12/30/16 | Tennessee | No. 24 Nebraska |
| 12/29/17 | No. 20 Northwestern | Kentucky |
| 12/28/18 | Auburn | Purdue |
| 12/30/19 | Louisville | Mississippi State |
| 12/30/21 | Purdue | Tennessee |
| 12/31/22 | Iowa | Kentucky |
Bowl Game MVPs
There is a long list of future pros that have claimed MVP honors at the Music City Bowl. From league MVP Lamar Jackson to memorable players like Marion Barber, several high-level football players have brought their best at this bowl game. Below is the full list of MVPs for this contest.
| Date played | MVP | Team |
| 12/29/98 | Corey Moore | Virginia Tech |
| 12/29/99 | James Mungro | Syracuse |
| 12/29/00 | Brad Lewis | West Virginia |
| 12/28/01 | William Green | Boston College |
| 12/30/02 | Dan Nystrom | Minnesota |
| 12/31/03 | Jason Campbell | Auburn |
| 12/31/04 | Marion Barber | Minnesota |
| 12/30/05 | Marques Hagans | Virginia |
| 12/29/06 | Andre’ Woodson | Kentucky |
| 12/31/07 | Andre’ Woodson | Kentucky |
| 12/31/08 | Brett Upson | Vanderbilt |
| 12/27/09 | C. J. Spiller | Clemson |
| 12/30/10 | Shaun Draughn | North Carolina |
| 12/30/11 | Vick Ballard | Mississippi State |
| 12/31/12 | Zac Stacy | Vanderbilt |
| 12/30/13 | Bo Wallace | Ole Miss |
| 12/30/14 | Malik Zaire | Notre Dame |
| 12/30/15 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville |
| 12/30/16 | Joshua Dobbs | Tennessee |
| 12/29/17 | Justin Jackson | Northwestern |
| 12/28/18 | Jarrett Stidham | Auburn |
| 12/30/19 | Malik Cunningham | Louisville |
| 12/30/21 | Broc Thompson | Purdue |
| 12/31/22 | Cooper DeJean | Iowa |
