First look at Citrus Bowl: South Carolina a double-digit betting favorite over Illinois
South Carolina learned its bowl destination on Sunday. Now the preparations begin to face Illinois in the Cheez-Its Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
It will be the Gamecocks’ fourth trip to Orlando for the bowl game. USC has won its last two times there when it was known as the Capital One Bowl, defeating Nebraska, 30-13, on Jan. 2, 2012, and Wisconsin, 34-24, on Jan. 1, 2014.
The Citrus Bowl had the first pick of Southeastern Conference teams that didn’t make the College Football Playoff and chose the Gamecocks over the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss.
It will be the first time the Gamecocks and Fighting Illini will meet on the football field.
South Carolina was No. 15 in the final CFP Top 25 rankings released Sunday, while Illinois was No. 20.
Citrus Bowl game date, kickoff time
- Who: South Carolina (9-3) vs. Illinois (9-3)
- Where: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
- When: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31
- TV: ABC
Point spread
The Gamecocks are 10.5-point favorites in FanDuel’s opening betting line on the game released Sunday. The over-under for the game is 47.5 points. BetMGM and Draft Kings have USC as an 11.5-point favorite.
State of South Carolina Gamecocks
USC comes into the bowl game as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning six straight games and making their case for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Gamecocks have a chance for their fifth 10-win season in school history with a victory and first since three straight 11-win seasons from 2011-13.
Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was named the head coach at Appalachian State on Saturday, but he could still call the plays for the Gamecocks in the bowl game, USC coach Shane Beamer said.
Beamer said he wasn’t sure which players would choose to opt out and not play in the bowl game.
State of Illinois Fighting Illini
Former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema has Illinois in a bowl game for the second time in his four seasons as coach. His team has three wins over ranked foes — Kansas, Nebraska and Michigan.
An Illinois victory would tie the program record for most wins in a season. The Fighting Illini last won 10 games in a season in 2001. It’s the eighth time in program history that Illinois has won nine or more games in a season.
Illinois has a familiar face on its coaching staff in receivers coach Justin Stepp. The South Carolina native was a member of Beamer’s original coaching staff and spent three seasons with the Gamecocks before taking the job at Illinois.
Illinois will be without its top receiver Pat Bryant, who announced this week he was opting out of the bowl game. The senior was second-team all-Big 10 selection by the coaches and the media and led the team with 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Players to Watch
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers: The redshirt freshman signal caller has been great during the Gamecocks’ six-game winning streak, leading them to wins in the final drives against Missouri and Clemson. Sellers has completed 64.9% of his passes for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also rushed for 655 yards and seven scores. Sellers has been the SEC Offensive Player of Week twice this season and was named conference Freshman of the Week two times.
The former South Florence High standout is the only Power 4 quarterback to rush and pass for 150 yards in a game this season, a feat he accomplished against Clemson. He had 166 rushing yards and 164 passing against the Tigers.
South Carolina DE Dylan Stewart: The true freshman has been as good as advertised this year and lived up to his five-star ranking coming out of high school. Stewart has 6.5 sacks this season, 1.5 away from tying Jadeveon Clowney’s program record for sacks as a freshman.
Illinois DB Xavier Scott: The junior was a first-team all-Big 10 selection by the media and one of the semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in the nation. He has four interceptions, which tie him for second in the Big 10 and 15th in the nation.
Illinois LB Gabe Jacas: The junior outside linebacker was a freshman All-American in 2022 and was a third team all-Big 10 selection this year. Jacas has eight sacks, which is sixth in the Big 10, and leads the conference in fumble recoveries. He had a career-high 13 tackles (six solo), 2.5 sacks, two QB pressures and forced a fumble in a win over Michigan, earning him Big 10 Player of the Week honors.
This story was originally published December 9, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
