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
SEASON |
WINNING TEAM |
LOSING TEAM |
SCORE |
2023 |
Tennessee |
Iowa |
35-0 |
2022 |
LSU |
Purdue |
63-7 |
2022 |
Kentucky |
Iowa |
20-17 |
2021 |
Northwestern |
Auburn |
35-19 |
2020 |
Alabama |
Michigan |
35-16 |
2019 |
Kentucky |
Penn State |
27-24 |
2018 |
Notre Dame |
LSU |
21-17 |
2016 |
LSU |
Louisville |
29-9 |
2015 |
Michigan |
Florida |
41-7 |
2014 |
Missouri |
Minnesota |
33-17 |
2013 |
South Carolina |
Wisconsin |
34-24 |
2012 |
Georgia |
Nebraska |
45-31 |
2011 |
South Carolina |
Nebraska |
30-13 |
2010 |
Alabama |
Michigan State |
49-7 |
2009 |
Penn State |
LSU |
19-17 |
2008 |
Georgia |
Michigan State |
24-12 |
2007 |
Michigan |
Florida |
41-35 |
2006 |
Wisconsin |
Arkansas |
17-14 |
2005 |
Wisconsin |
Auburn |
24-10 |
2004 |
Iowa |
LSU |
30-25 |
2003 |
Georgia |
Purdue |
34-27 (OT) |
2002 |
Auburn |
Penn State |
13-9 |
2001 |
Tennessee |
Michigan |
45-17 |
2000 |
Michigan |
Auburn |
31-28 |
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
BOWL |
TIME (ET), VENUE |
Saturday, December 14 |
Celebration Bowl |
South Carolina State vs. Jackson State |
12:00 PM, Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
Salute to Veterans Bowl |
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan |
9:00 PM, Cramton Bowl |
Tuesday, December 17 |
Frisco Bowl |
Memphis vs. West Virginia |
9:00 PM, Toyota Stadium |
Wednesday, December 18 |
Boca Raton Bowl |
James Madison vs. Western Kentucky |
5:30 PM, FAU Stadium |
LA Bowl |
UNLV vs. Cal |
9:00 PM, SoFi Stadium |
Thursday, December 19 |
New Orleans Bowl |
Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern |
7:00 PM, Caesars Superdome |
Friday, December 20 |
Cure Bowl |
Ohio vs. Jacksonville State |
12:00 PM, Camping World Stadium |
Gasparilla Bowl |
Florida vs. Tulane |
3:30 PM, Raymond James Stadium |
College Football Playoff First Round Game |
(8) Indiana at (5) Notre Dame |
8:00 PM, South Bend, IN |
Saturday, December 21 |
College Football Playoff First Round Game |
(10) SMU at (4) Penn State |
12:00 PM, University Park, PA |
College Football Playoff First Round Game |
(16) Clemson at (3) Texas |
4:00 PM, Austin, TX |
College Football Playoff First Round Game |
(7) Tennessee at (6) Ohio State |
8:00 PM, Columbus, OH |
Monday, December 23 |
Myrtle Beach Bowl |
Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA |
11:00 AM, Brooks Stadium |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl |
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State |
2:30 PM, Albertsons Stadium |
Tuesday, December 24 |
Hawai'i Bowl |
South Florida vs. San Jose State |
8:00 PM, Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex |
Thursday, December 26 |
GameAbove Sports Bowl |
Pittsburgh vs. Toledo |
2:00 PM, Ford Field |
Rate Bowl |
Rutgers vs. Kansas State |
5:30 PM, Chase Field |
68 Ventures Bowl |
Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green |
9:00 PM, Hancock Whitney Stadium |
Friday, December 27 |
Armed Forces Bowl |
Navy vs. Oklahoma |
12:00 PM, Amon G. Carter Stadium |
Birmingham Bowl |
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt |
3:30 PM, Protective Stadium |
Liberty Bowl |
Arkansas vs. Texas Tech |
7:00 PM, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium |
Holiday Bowl |
Syracuse vs. Washington State |
8:00 PM, Snapdragon Stadium |
Las Vegas Bowl |
USC vs. Texas A&M |
10:30 PM, Allegiant Stadium |
Saturday, December 28 |
Fenway Bowl |
UConn vs. North Carolina |
11:00 AM, Fenway Park |
Pinstripe Bowl |
Boston College vs. Nebraska |
12:00 PM, Yankee Stadium |
New Mexico Bowl |
TCU vs. Louisiana |
2:15 PM, University Stadium |
Pop-Tarts Bowl |
Miami (Fla.) vs. Iowa State |
3:30 PM, Camping World Stadium |
Arizona Bowl |
Colorado State vs. Miami (Ohio) |
4:30 PM, Arizona Stadium |
Military Bowl |
NC State vs. East Carolina |
5:45 PM, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium |
Alamo Bowl |
BYU vs. Colorado |
7:30 PM, Alamodome |
Independence Bowl |
Army vs. Louisiana Tech |
9:15 PM, Independence Stadium |
Monday, December 30 |
Music City Bowl |
Missouri vs. Iowa |
2:30 PM, Nissan Stadium |
Tuesday, December 31 |
ReliaQuest Bowl |
Alabama vs. Michigan |
12:00 PM, Raymond James Stadium |
Sun Bowl |
Louisville vs. Washington |
2:00 PM, Sun Bowl |
Citrus Bowl |
South Carolina vs. Illinois |
3:00 PM, Camping World Stadium |
Texas Bowl |
LSU vs. Baylor |
3:30 PM, NRG Stadium |
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game (Fiesta Bowl) |
(9) Boise State vs. TBD |
7:30 PM, State Farm Stadium |
Wednesday, January 1 |
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game (Peach Bowl) |
(12) Arizona State vs. TBD |
1:00 PM, Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game (Rose Bowl) |
(1) Oregon vs. TBD |
2:00 PM, Rose Bowl |
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Game (Sugar Bowl) |
(2) Georgia vs. TBD |
8:45 PM, Caesars Superdome |
Thursday, January 2 |
Gator Bowl |
Mississippi vs. Duke |
7:30 PM, EverBank Stadium |
Friday, January 3 |
First Responder Bowl |
North Texas vs. Texas State |
4:00 PM, Gerald J. Ford Stadium |
Duke's Mayo Bowl |
Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech |
7:30 PM, Bank of America Stadium |
Saturday, January 4 |
Bahamas Bowl |
Liberty vs. Buffalo |
11:00 AM, Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium |
Thursday, January 9 |
College Football Playoff Semifinal Game (Orange Bowl) |
TBD |
7:30 PM, Hard Rock Stadium |
Friday, January 10 |
College Football Playoff Semifinal Game (Cotton Bowl) |
TBD |
7:30 PM, AT&T Stadium |
Monday, January 20 |
CFP National Championship Game |
TBD |
7:30 PM, Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
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