Livescore
The No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini are set to square off in the 2024 Citrus Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 31. South Carolina enters at 9-3, most recently defeating No. 12 Clemson, 17-14, on Nov. 30 for its sixth straight victory. Illinois enters 9-3, most recently defeating Northwestern, 38-28, on Nov. 30 for its third straight win. The Gamecocks are playing in their third bowl game in four years with Shane Beamer as head coach, whereas Illinois is playing in its second bowl in four years under head coach Bret Bielema.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The Gamecocks are favored by 10 points in the latest Illinois vs. South Carolina odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 49.5 points. Before entering any South Carolina vs. Illinois picks or 2024 Citrus Bowl bets, see the college football predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is 43-35 on top-rated picks during the 2024 season. It also nailed all four winners in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen impressive returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on South Carolina vs. Illinois in the Citrus Bowl 2024. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college football betting lines for Illinois vs. South Carolina:
- South Carolina vs. Illinois spread: South Carolina -10
- South Carolina vs. Illinois over/under: 49.5 points
- South Carolina vs. Illinois money line: South Carolina -391, Illinois +306
- South Carolina vs. Illinois picks: See picks at SportsLine
- South Carolina vs. Illinois streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why South Carolina can cover
Although the Gamecocks will be without starting running back Raheim Sanders and standout edge rusher Kyle Kennard as they prepare for the NFL Draft, South Carolina has the vast majority of its players on both sides of the ball playing in the 2024 Citrus Bowl. Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers had a strong finish to his first year playing significant snaps at quarterback as he threw for more than 300 yards in two of his final three games and he had 16 touchdowns (12 passing) compared to three interceptions over his final five games.
South Carolina had an elite defense this season despite playing a challenging SEC schedule. The Gamecocks rank 11th in scoring defense (18.4 ppg) while allowing the ninth-fewest yards per play (4.9). South Carolina ranks 15th in yards allowed (319.3 per game). The Gamecocks have held their opponents to 14 points or fewer in three of their last four games, including most recently in a 17-14 win over a Clemson team averaging 33.5 ppg this season. With the majority of their defensive stars playing on Tuesday, that could lead to another dominant defensive performance. See which team to pick here.
Why Illinois can cover
The Fighting Illini are coming off their best season since 2007 when they played in the Rose Bowl. Head coach Bret Bielema has quickly transformed Illinois from a program with nine straight losing seasons when he took over to now playing in its second bowl over his four years. In his previous head coaching stint, Bielema went 2-1 in bowl games at Arkansas.
Illinois also has the vast majority of its team playing but it will be without leading receiver Pat Bryant as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Illinois started the season 6-1, which included victories over three ranked teams at the time (No. 19 Kansas, No. 22 Nebraska and No. 24 Michigan. The Fighting Illini went 5-2 ATS as an underdog this season and have covered the spread in three straight games. Illinois has scored 38 points in three straight games. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for more than 225 yards in three straight weeks before not needing to throw much against Northwestern as Aidan Laughery rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on 14.3 yards per carry, so there’s a variety of ways the battle-tested Fighting Illini can score to keep pace with South Carolina. See which team to pick here.
How to make South Carolina vs. Illinois picks
The model has simulated Illinois vs. South Carolina 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins South Carolina vs. Illinois in the 2024 Citrus Bowl, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post