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How to watch, betting trends as South Carolina faces Illinois in Citrus Bowl this week

trevyn gray
·5 min read
The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl is 3 p.m. Tuesday at Camping World Stadium.

South Carolina football is on a roll going into the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

After just missing the College Football Playoff, No. 15 USC is on a six-game winning streak as it faces No. 20 Illinois. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Illini have never played each other.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game, including how to watch, betting lines and an injury report:

WHAT CHANNEL IS THE CITRUS BOWL GAME ON?

INJURY REPORT

Head coach Shane Beamer said tight end Brady Hunt hasn’t practiced and is “doubtful” for Tuesday’s game. Hunt missed the final two games of the regular season after suffering an injury against Missouri.

Tight end Maurice Brown II was in a non-contact jersey on Friday, but Beamer said he’s fine. Center Vershon Lee wasn’t at practice on Friday, but Beamer said he was also fine and just “under the weather.”

TOP STORYLINES

▪ Opt-outs: Teams that don’t make the College Football Playoff often see a bunch of opt-outs for their bowl games, as players prioritize health, training or their next stop (transfer portal/NFL).

South Carolina has two confirmed high-profile opt-outs in Kyle Kennard and Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, as both announced plans to declare for the NFL Draft. Outside of that, a dozen or so players who have entered the transfer portal won’t suit up against Illinois. QB Robby Ashford is the only transfer who’s still on the active roster.

Illinois’ has its own high-profile opt-out in wide receiver Pat Bryant, who was the Fighting Illini’s top pass catcher with 54 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns.

▪ LaNorris Sellers: South Carolina’s redshirt freshman quarterback just signed a new NIL deal and is already on Heisman watch lists for 2025 — but first he has a chance to finish 2024 on a high note. On USC’s current six game-winning streak, he’s averaging nearly 247 yards passing, 73 yards rushing and three total touchdowns per game.

▪ Chance for history: One of the main reasons so many players elected to play in the bowl is the chance for South Carolina to win their 10th game in a season for the fifth time in program history. The Gamecocks also admitted they were disappointed after being left out of the College Football Playoff, especially after winning six straight games to finish the season.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR ORLANDO

The National Weather Services predicts Orlando will be mostly sunny Tuesday with a high near 77.

ESPN FPI GAME PREDICTION

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives South Carolina a 72.5% chance to win the game.

BETTING ODDS

The Gamecocks are a 10-point favorite against the Fighting Illini, according to VegasInsider’s consensus line. The over/under is 48 points. The spread has ranged from 9 to 11.5 points in favor of South Carolina.

According to VegasInsider, 68% of the bets against the spread say South Carolina will win and cover. Meanwhile, 54% of those placing moneyline bets predict Illinois will win straight up (not accounting for the spread).

South Carolina depth chart

——OFFENSE——

  • QB: LaNorris Sellers (Robby Ashford)

  • RB: Juju McDowell —OR— Oscar Adaway III

  • TE: Joshua Simon (Brady Hunt)

  • TE: Michael Smith (Maurice Brown II)

  • WR: Nyck Harbor —OR— Jared Brown —OR— Dalevon Campbell)

  • WR: Mazeo Bennett Jr. —OR— Payton Mangrum —OR— Luke Doty

  • WR: Gage Larvadain —OR— Vandrevius Lacobs

  • LT: Josiah Thompson (Tree Babalade)

  • LG: Kamaar Bell (Markee Anderson)

  • RG: Torricelli Simpkins III —OR— Trovon Baugh

  • RT: Cason Henry (Jatavius Shivers)

  • OC: Vershon Lee (Ryan Brubaker)

——DEFENSE——

  • Edge: Bryan Thomas Jr. —OR— Gilber Edmond —OR — Desmond Umeozulu

  • Edge: Dylan Stewart (Bryan Thomas Jr. —OR— Jatius Geer)

  • DT: Tonka Hemingway —OR— T.J. Sanders (Monkell Goodwine)

  • DT: Alex Huntley (Nick Barrett —OR— DeAndre Jules)

  • MLB: Demetrius Knight Jr. (Fred “JayR” Johnson)

  • WLB: Debo Williams (Bam Martin-Scott)

  • NICK: Jalon Kilgore (Kelvin Hunter —OR— Jalewis Solomon)

  • CB: O’Donnell Fortune (Emory Floyd —OR— David Spaulding)

  • CB: Judge Collier (Vacari Swain)

  • SS: DQ Smith (Peyton Williams)

  • FS: Nick Emmanwori (David Bucey —OR— Gerald Kilgore)

——SPECIAL TEAMS——

  • PK: Alex Herrera (Mason Love, William Joyce)

  • P: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)

  • LSN: Hunter Rogers (Cole Rasmussen)

  • H: Kai Kroeger (Mason Love)

  • KOR: Juju McDowell (Nyck Harbor)

  • PR: Juju McDowell (Gage Larvadain)

South Carolina football schedule

  • Aug. 31 – South Carolina 23, Old Dominion 19

  • Sept. 7 – South Carolina 31, Kentucky 6

  • Sept. 14 – LSU 36, South Carolina 33

  • Sept. 21 – South Carolina 50, Akron 7

  • Oct. 5 – Ole Miss 27, South Carolina 3

  • Oct. 12 – Alabama 27, South Carolina 25

  • Oct. 19 – South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 6

  • Nov. 2 – South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20

  • Nov. 9 – South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 7

  • Nov. 16 – South Carolina 34, Missouri 30

  • Nov. 23 – South Carolina 56, Wofford 12

  • Nov. 30 – South Carolina 17, Clemson 14

  • Dec. 31 – South Carolina vs Illinois, Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida., 3 p.m.