Gamecocks face off against Illinois in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

The South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3, 5-3 SEC) will face the Illinois Fighting Illini (9-3, 6-3, Big Ten) in the 79th edition of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. The game will be played at Camping World Stadium (60,000) in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.

OVER THE AIRWAVES

The 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will be televised nationally on ABC. Mark Jones will handle the play-by-play with Roddy Jones providing the color commentary. Quint Kessenich will be the sideline reporter. ESPN Radio will also have a national broadcast. Sean Kelley will call the action with Rene Ingoglia providing the analysis. Marilyn Payne will patrol the sidelines. The Gamecock Sports Radio Network features a pair of Gamecock Great quarterbacks in play-by-play voice Todd Ellis (33rd season) and analyst Tommy Suggs (52nd season). Chet Tucker is back for his second year as the sideline reporter.

GOING BOWLING

The Gamecocks are appearing in their 26th bowl game. They own a 10-15 mark in the previous 25 contests. Carolina has posted a 10-7 mark in its last 17 bowl contests after dropping its first eight bowl games. Most recently, the Gamecocks dropped a 45-38 decision to Notre Dame in the 2022 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. It was just the third setback in their last nine bowl appearances.

GOOD TO BE BACK

South Carolina will be making its fourth trip to a bowl game in Orlando and its first since the end of the 2013 season. The Gamecocks dropped a 20-7 decision to Miami (Ohio) in the Tangerine Bowl, played on Dec. 20, 1975, then won twice in the Capital One Bowl, defeating Nebraska by a 30-13 score on Jan. 2, 2012, and topping Wisconsin on Jan. 1, 2014, by a 34-24 score.

WHERE THE GAMECOCKS STAND

One of the hottest teams in the country, the Gamecocks won their last six contests, including four over ranked opponents, to finish the regular season with a 9-3 record. The Gamecocks were ranked 15th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings and 14th in both the Associated Press and Coaches poll.

SIZING UP THE ILLINI

South Carolina and Illinois have never met on the gridiron. However, Illini head coach Bret Bielema is no stranger to the Gamecocks. Bielema faced the Gamecocks twice as the head coach at the University of Arkansas. Carolina got the better of both decisions, winning by a 52-7 count in Fayetteville in 2013, Bielema's first season with the Hogs, then posting a 48-22 win in Columbia in 2017, Bielema's final year with the Razorbacks. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has never faced the Illini.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE BIG TEN

South Carolina has won each of its last four contests against Big Ten teams in bowl games, and six of seven since the turn of the century. The Gamecocks opened the 2000s with back-to-back wins over Ohio State (2001 Outback and 2002 Outback) then, after a loss to Iowa in the 2009 Outback, Carolina has reeled off four-straight victories in bowl games over Big Ten schools, defeating Nebraska (2012 Capital One), Wisconsin (2014 Capital One) and Michigan twice (2013 Outback and 2018 Outback).

OLD FRIEND ALERT

Illinois wide receiver coach Justin Stepp was on Shane Beamer's staff at South Carolina from 2021-23. He is originally from Pelion, S.C., just outside Columbia.

HOME SWEET HOME

South Carolina All-America punter Kai Kroeger hails from the Land of Lincoln. The All-American Super Senior who has handled the Gamecocks' punting chores for each of the last five seasons, hails from Lake Forest, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

TROPHY HUNTING

The Gamecocks are looking to capture their fourth trophy of 2024. They collected the Bonham Trophy with a 44-20 win over No. 10/11 Texas A&M, defeated No. 24/21 Missouri, 34-30, to bring the Mayor's Cup to South Carolina, then took home the Palmetto Bowl trophy after defeating in-state rival Clemson, 17-14. It marked the first time that South Carolina captured all three regular season trophies in the same season.

ANOTHER TOP-25 MATCHUP

South Carolina will be playing its eighth top-25 opponent, according to the Associated Press poll at the time of the game, as Illinois enters the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl ranked No. 21 in the most recent AP poll. The eight games played against ranked opponents is a school record, surpassing the previous mark of seven in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 4-3 against AP top-25 teams this season, falling to No. 16 LSU, No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 7 Alabama before defeating No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 24 Missouri and No. 12 Clemson in the second half of the season.