Citrus Bowl Betting Lines and Preview for South Carolina vs. Illinois

This is another “what-does-it-all-mean?” Bowl games.

With a few notable exceptions – South Carolina’s star end Kyle Kennard and running back Raheim Sanders, and Illinois’ top receiver Pat Bryant – both teams remain relatively intact. Opt-outs are not an excuse in this case.

South Carolina was one 27-25 loss to Alabama away from making the College Football Playoff. Following that, the team won six consecutive games, including a thrilling victory over Clemson. The Gamecocks should have been ranked higher than the Tigers, and SMU should have been ranked higher.

Illinois won three straight to close, and four of its last six. However, the best win was over. Nebraska? Michigan? It needs this win to reach ten, as does South Carolina, to make this season memorable.

The Illini have lost their last three bowl games, dating back to the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger. South Carolina is 2–3 in its last five games, including a tough loss to Notre Dame in 2022.

The two programs have never played each other.

South Carolina vs Illinois: How to Watch the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Game Preview

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
How To Watch: ABC
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Teams: South Carolina (9-3), Illinois (9-3)

Why Illinois Will Win

Illinois is sound.

It does not turn the ball over, is strong offensively on third downs, and does not receive a lot of penalties. It does not control the clock or dictate the tempo, but it does an excellent job of simply hanging out and working within the rhythm of games.

To pull this off, the Illini must own the lines. This is where South Carolina’s lack of Kennard hurts, as the pass rush compensates for the flaws. Although Illinois excels at getting into the backfield, the offensive line struggles with pass protection.

Why South Carolina Will Win

LaNorris Sellers is one of the hottest quarterbacks entering the bowl season.

The redshirt freshman threw 15 touchdown passes and four interceptions in his final seven games, and he is even more dangerous on the ground, with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Clemson.

Illinois has a respectable run defense, but it has not seen many quarterbacks with Sellers’ skill set. Jalon Daniels of Kansas comes close; Illinois limited him to 27 rushing yards.

However, protecting the quarterback is a major concern for Illinois, just as it is for the South Carolina line. Luke Altmyer is not the runner Sellers is, so he will need time.

Again, Kennard is an NFL talent who will be missed; he was responsible for 11.5 of the team’s 40 sacks, but the pressure will come from all sides.

South Carolina vs Illinois: Who Will Win?

South Carolina isn’t a cocky team, but the program is definitely feeling it after the way it closed out the season. It played better than Illinois and has more pop on both sides of the ball, but Bret Bielema’s teams have ways of taking over by being more physical.

Again, both side have enough of the normal starters back for this to be a true indication of how good they really are, and that mostly means the quarterbacks. Sellers is the star in this, but Altmyer is dangerous, too.

When the Illinois veteran throws multiple touchdown passes, the team is 6-0. When it doesn’t, it’s 3-3 when he doesn’t. South Carolina is 9-0 when it doesn’t give up more than two touchdown passes, 0-3 when it does.

The Gamecocks will give up two touchdown passes, but will prevent the third on a key late sack.