Illinois has been selected to its second New Year’s Day/Eve bowl game in Florida in the Bret Bielema era.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 8, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For the first time in over three decades, Illinois will end its football season with the Citrus Bowl.

The Illini (9-3) accepted an invitation and will play in the Citrus Bowl for the first time since New Year’s Day 1990 when Jeff George led Illinois to a 31-21 victory over Virginia.

According to a first report by Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, Illinois will play South Carolina (9-3), which was one of the first at-large team left out of the first 12-team College Football Playoff. The two teams have never played each other.

Illinois has a recent connection to the South Carolina program on its coaching staff. Illini wide receivers coach Justin Stepp joined Bret Bielema’s staff this past February after spending the previous three seasons (2021-23) as a wide receivers coach at South Carolina. Stepp spent the last six season as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference coaching seven receivers to at least five-touchdown seasons and six receivers to at least 500-yard seasons. Six of his former wide receivers are currently on professional rosters, including five in the National Football League, and another - Xavier Legette - was selected in the first round of 2024 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

Bielema confirmed during his signing day media conference on Thursday afternoon inside the Smith Family Football Complex that Illinois will be without All-Big Ten wide receiver Pat Bryant. Bryant sent out a social media message on Monday officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft and has elected to opt out of the bowl game. Bryant was honored earlier this week as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection after the four-year starter at wide receiver ranked second in the Big Ten in receiving yards (984) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns with 10. Bryant led the nation with three game-winning touchdown catches in the final minute/overtime this season, all coming from All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree Luke Altmyer.

The game, which will be played on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m. CST on ABC, is set to kick off at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. It will mark the second New Year’s Day/Eve bowl game to be played by the Illini since Bret Bielema took over the Illini program in Dec. 2020. Illinois lost 19-10 in the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla. to Mississippi State.

Illinois will play in two bowls over a three-year stretch for the first time since back-to-back bowl seasons in 2010 and 2011. Bielema is the first Illini coach to go to two bowl games in his first four seasons since Lou Tepper from 1991-94.

Illinois has four fourth-quarter comeback wins this season (Kansas, at Nebraska, Purdue, at Rutgers) and has a 9-4 record in one-score games over the last two seasons, including a 4-1 record in one-score games this season. Seven of Illinois’ nine one-score wins over the last two seasons have come in the final minute or overtime. Illinois has been underdogs in five of its nine one-score wins over the past two seasons, including four as road underdogs.

After starting its 2024 season with a 3-3 start, South Carolina (9-3) has won six games in a row including wins over Texas A&M, Missouri and Clemson to put itself in the conversation for one of the final College Football Playoff at-large spots. The Gamecocks, which are in the fourth season under head coach Shane Beamer, are led by redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers as well as a defense that ranks among the best in the nation and school history. On that Gamecocks defense, Kyle Kennard (11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss this season) is a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Dylan Stewart (6.5 sacks) is a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. South Carolina is currently tied for 13th among 134 Football Bowl Subdivision programs in scoring defense (17.8 points per game) and 15th in total defense (313.3 yards per game).

Illinois has not won a bowl game on New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve in three decades. The last Illini victory on Dec. 31st or Jan. 1st was a 30-0 win over East Carolina in the 1994 Liberty Bowl. The Illini have never defeated a program that currently was a member of the Southeastern Conference.