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The New Year’s Eve party is on in Nashville as Auburn takes on Maryland in the 2023 Music City Bowl. The Tigers are looking to finish with a winning record for first-year coach Hugh Freeze, while the Terps want a signature win over an SEC power.

Read on for our game preview and our ideas on some of the best game bets and picks available at the best Alabama sportsbooks.

Music City Bowl Auburn vs. Maryland preview

The line in this game moved dramatically when Maryland star QB Taulia Tagovailoa opted out before Christmas, moving four points in Auburn’s favor. Tagovailoa is the all-time leading passer in Big Ten history and threw for 3,307 yards this season with the Terps and is now leaving early to prepare for the NFL Draft.

In place of Tagovailoa, the Terps will look at two young quarterbacks. Sophomore Billy Edwards Jr. played in seven games this season, but only threw 10 passes. He was the Terps’ running threat at the goal line with six touchdowns. Maryland also expects to use redshirt freshman Cameron Edge at QB. The Terps do have two of their top receiving threats in the game in Jeshaun Jones and Tai Felton.

For the Tigers, it was an inconsistent season under Freeze. The Tigers (6-6) had Alabama on the ropes in the regular-season finale but gave up a long TD pass (the less said about this, the better for Auburn fans) at the end. Quarterback Payton Thorne was solid at best as he ran for 520 yards and threw for 1,671.

Auburn will be without several of its best defensive players who are also skipping Nashville for the NFL Draft including defensive tackle Marcus Harris and starting cornerbacks DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett.

This is the third all-time meeting between the two schools, but they haven’t faced off since 1983.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT Saturday in Nashville with the broadcast on ESPN. The weather forecast is for temperatures in the mid-40s and cloudy, but dry.

Music City Bowl Auburn vs. Maryland best bet: Maryland +6.5 points (-110 or better)

The movement of this spread shows how much Tagovailoa meant to the Terps, but 6.5 points is still a lot to give an Auburn team that doesn’t usually blow anyone out and may feel like it doesn’t have a lot to play for after the disappointing loss to Bama.

Auburn’s offense has had issues moving the ball this season, and the defense will be softened by all the opt-outs. Look for a high-scoring game and take Maryland and the points, but an Auburn close victory is not off the table.

Music City Bowl Auburn vs. Maryland best bet: Over 47.5 points (-110 or better)

This is SEC vs. Big Ten, which means speed versus power. Auburn’s strength is running the football. Thorne is probably a better runner than passer and the Tigers will have lead rusher Jarquez Hunter in the backfield. Hunter averaged almost six yards a carry and the Tigers ran for almost 200 yards as a team, 16th in the nation.

Maryland’s defense was good against the run, allowing 129.6 a game, but do they have the size up front to handle Auburn’s big offensive line?

On the flipside, even without Tagovailoa, the Terps are a passing team, and whoever plays quarterback will have good targets to throw to against an inexperienced Auburn secondary. Field conditions will be dry. All these opt-outs mean defensive mistakes which lead to more points.

Music City Bowl Auburn vs. Maryland best bets: How to grab your sports betting bonus, best bowl game promotions

Jumping on one of our sportsbook welcome bonuses to place your first bet on the Music City Bowl couldn’t be easier. Just follow these instructions:

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