2024 Citrus Bowl Lines - South Carolina vs. Illinois

Citrus Bowl Lines - South Carolina vs. Illinois Odds

The #20 Illinois football team has accepted an invitation to play in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Illinois will play #15 South Carolina at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The Illini qualified for the 21st bowl game in program history, the second New Year's bowl in Florida in the last three seasons, along with the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl. Illinois will return to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since the 1989 season when RB Howard Griffith and QB Jeff George led the Fighting Illini to a 31-21 victory over Virginia in the 1990 Citrus Bowl. Illinois' trip to Orlando will be a homecoming for 17 Illini that hail from Florida, including nearly a dozen starters. Illinois' 17 players from the Sunshine State represent the most of any Big Ten program.

2024 Citrus Bowl at a Glance

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Time (ET) / TV: 3:00 PM / ABC

Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

Matchup: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

College Football Betting Lines

South Carolina Gamecocks -10

Illinois Fighting Illini +10

Over/Under: 47.5

Citrus Bowl Preview

Last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini won 38-28 against the Northwestern Wildcats as 9.5-point road favorites. The game went over the total of 43. Illinois has a record of 9-3 straight up, 8-3-1 against the spread, and 5-7 over/under the total. Illinois ranks 91st for total offense, 83rd for passing, 79th for rushing and 63rd for scoring. Defensively they rank 71st overall, 74th against the pass, 73rd against the rush, and 40th for points allowed. Also, Illinois ranks 30th for fewest turnovers lost and 43rd for takeaways.

Last game, the South Carolina Gamecocks won 17-14 against the Clemson Tigers as 2.5-point road dogs. The game went under the total of 49. South Carolina has a record of 9-3 straight up, 9-3 against the spread, and 7-5 over/under the total. South Carolina ranks 48th for total offense, 73rd for passing, 34th for rushing and 42nd for scoring. Defensively they rank 15th overall, 46th against the pass, 14th against the rush, and 14th for points allowed. Also, South Carolina ranks 100th for fewest turnovers lost and 30th for takeaways.

Citrus Bowl Prediction

In this situation, South Carolina brings SEC pedigree and plenty of momentum.

Citrus Bowl Format

The Citrus Bowl, which currently features schools from the Big Ten and the SEC, takes place in Orlando, Florida. It began in 1947 as the Tangerine Bowl and was called the Florida Citrus Bowl until 1982 when it became the Capital One Bowl.

Citrus Bowl Past Results

In 2021, the Big Ten scored a 35-19 win by Northwestern over Auburn. But in 2022, Kentucky scored revenge for the SEC with a 20-17 victory over Iowa as the 'under' cashed. The 'under' is now 4-2 across the past six Citrus Bowls.

Previously, Oklahoma State won a thriller over Miami-FL 37-34. As it turned out, the win was a springboard to the Pokes' big year in 2021. In comparison, it was also a portent of the firing to come for Miami and coach Manny Diaz.

In 2023, Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns. He threw for one in his first career start, and No. 25 Tennessee shut down No. 20 Iowa's Division I-worst offense to beat the Hawkeyes 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl.

Iamaleava, a prized recruit for Volunteers coach Josh Heupel, stepped in for senior Joe Milton, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft. The 19-year-old threw for 151 yards, and his 27 rushing yards included three scores.

Dylan Sampson rushed 20 times for 133 yards for the Vols, and Tennessee's defense did the rest against an Iowa offense that came in averaging 16.6 points per game and 238.8 yards.

The Hawkeyes were blanked in consecutive games to close the season after falling 26-0 to No. 1 Michigan in the Big Ten championship game. Iowa's defense gave up more than 20 points for the third time this season — all of them in shutout losses.

The Hawkeyes finished with 173 yards of offense. Deacon Hill threw for 56 yards, was intercepted twice, and lost a fumble. The Vols sacked him six times, resulting in 24 lost yards. The Hawkeyes crossed midfield only once in the first three quarters, and that drive concluded when Andre Turrentine intercepted Hill in the end zone.

The shutout was the largest in Citrus Bowl history. East Carolina had the previous record, beating Maine 31-0 in 1965, when the game was known as the Tangerine Bowl.

2024-25 College Football Bowl Games

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