No. 20 Illinois (9-3) is headed to Orlando, Florida, for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. The Illini will face off against No. 15 South Carolina (9-3) on New Year’s Eve in a major bowl game. Illinois entered the conversation for the Citrus Bowl in Week 4 and solidified that projection down the stretch.
How we got here
As the top Big Ten team to miss the playoffs, Illinois will face a good SEC team that also failed to make the field. South Carolina didn’t have much of a chance of making the playoff heading into Championship Saturday. It was officially eliminated after Clemson’s win over SMU for the ACC championship on Saturday night.
History
The Illini and the Gamecocks have no history in college football, making this matchup a first. Both teams head to Florida with the same record, and the only difference between the two is that South Carolina’s schedule was the harder one. While the committee is said to not factor in the strength of the schedule as much, South Carolina has more experience playing against higher-ranked teams and beating them.
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The Gamecocks also have a younger roster, similar to the Illini, which may have led to their selection. The committee picked the Gamecocks over the Crimson Tide for the SEC spot in the Citrus Bowl, which shocked many in the college football world. Alabama hoped to secure the final at-large bid in the playoffs but ultimately fell short of that and the Citrus Bowl.
Details
The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl is on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. The game will be held at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, and broadcast on ABC.
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