Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, #15 South Carolina vs #20 Illinois: NCAA Football Best Bets

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Illinois Fighting Illini are both down in Orlando to face off in their bowl game on New Year’s Eve. Both teams meet in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Florida, and the Gamecocks find themselves as double digit favorites.

Both teams ended the season with a 9-3 record, winning several of their final games. The Gamecocks ended the season winning six straight games, including three Top 25 victories, while Illinois ended on a three game winning streak of their own. The Illini had three ranked wins this season, however each of those teams is nowhere near ranked anymore. We know the gauntlet that is the SEC that the Gamecocks played in this season, and with the momentum they’ve been producing, they are not a team I want to fade right now.

However, they will be without top RB Raheim Sanders who has opted out of this game. Illinois will miss Top WR Pat Bryant (54-984-10) as well as RG Zy Crisler and a defensive starter on each level of the unit. Is this line disrespectful for how good Illinois is? Or will the Gamecocks show the Illini that things are different in the SEC?

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#15 South Carolina Gamecocks vs #20 Illinois Fighting Illini: Citrus Bowl

Matchup Information – South Carolina vs Illinois

• Venue & Location: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL)
• Date: Tuesday, December 31st, 2024
• Kick Off: 3:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: ABC

Betting Odds

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Spread

• South Carolina -10 (-110)
• Illinois +10 (-110)

Money Line

• South Carolina -375
• Illinois +305

Total

• Over 49.5 (-110)
• Under 49.5 (-110)

SEC and Big Ten Square Off in Citrus Bowl

South Carolina is cruising, and things haven’t been easy. They upset the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers on their own turf, beat Texas A&M as underdogs and they are 9-3 ATS this season. LaNorris Sellers is a do-it-all QB for the Gamecocks, and I do not see them ending this season without another dominant performance.

Illinois has fought all year long, but this game is going to be a wake up call. The last three games, sure, Illinois has won, but let’s look at who they’ve played.

Illinois Opponent Scoring Ranks (Offense/Defense)

• Northwestern: (129th/79th)
• Rutgers: (59th/72nd)
• Michigan State: (126th/81st)

They have been cruising down easy street, and they are in for a rude awakening.

South Carolina only ranks 49th in scoring offense, but they are 11th in the country in points allowed per game, giving up just 18.4 to opponents. They are Top 10 in points and yards per play, and are also Top 30 in Opponent 3rd down conversion and RZ scoring. Illinois hasn’t seen a defense of this caliber in over two months, and they only put up 9 points in that game against Oregon.

#15 South Carolina Gamecocks vs #20 Illinois Fighting Illini Best Bets

South Carolina vs Illinois Prediction: South Carolina Wins & Covers, Under 49.5

Best Bets: Illinois TT Under 17.5 (+110) Bovada

I do not see Illinois contributing to this total at all. This SEC defense will one of the toughest they’ve seen all year, and away from home against teams with elite defenses, things have not gone their way.

South Carolina is the 11th ranked defense in scoring. Against Oregon, who ranked 9th, and Penn State, who ranks 5th, Illinois managed a combined 16 points in those games. They were also held under this number against Minnesota at home, scoring just 17 against the Gophers who are 16th in the country in scoring.

Point being, when they face a good scoring defense, Illinois struggles. I see that continuing tomorrow, and also have beans on a Gamecock player prop.

Bonus Bets: LaNorris Sellers Over 49.5 Rushing Yards (-114) BetOnline

Let me start with the basics. Sellers averages 13 carries for 54.5 yards per game this season. He runs for 4.2 yards per carry, is South Carolina’s 2nd leading rusher in terms of carries, yards and TDs, plus he’s gone for 50+ yards in 6 games this season. Sellers also has finished contests with 38 and 45 yards on the ground, and has gone for 88+ on three separate occasions.

Sellers is coming off a game where he ran for over 10 yards per carry and 2 TDs, going for 166 on the ground against Clemson. Without their star RB, Sellers is going to be the top ball carrier for South Carolina, and I don’t see Illinois being able to do much. The Illini are 82nd in yards per carry, allowing over 4.5 per rush and give up 160 on the ground per game. They’ve also struggled against dual threat QBs as well.

Dual Threat QBs against Illinois

• Jalon Daniels (KU): 10-35
• Ryan Browne (Purdue): 17-118
• Aidan Chiles (MSU): 12-40
• Athan Kaliakmanis (Rutgers): 13-84-2

While South Carolina does give up plenty of sacks, Sellers has the body and ability to escape the pocket, shrug off a blitzer and extend the play with his legs. I’ll be counting on him doing just that in this bowl game.

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