The Illinois football team doesn’t officially have a bowl destination, but every expert has the Fighting Illini at the same landing spot.
The Fighting Illini are expected to play in the Citrus Bowl, scheduled for 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
But who will Illinois play in the Citrus Bowl? Let’s take a look at three most likely bowl opponents — all 9-3 SEC teams on the CFP bubble.
Making a case for the CFP: Ole Miss, South Carolina or Alabama?
Outspoken coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks seem to be the odds-on favorite to face the Illini in the Fiesta Bowl. USC (9-3) is ranked No. 12 in the coaches poll and No. 14 in the CFP. South Carolina has beaten four ranked teams and have no “bad” losses — with setbacks to LSU (36-33), Ole Miss (27-3) and Alabama (27-25), who were all in the top 17 at the time of their games.
Another outspoken coach Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss also could find be the Illini opponent. Would be a juicy matchup since both Kiffin and Illini coach Bret Bielema have discussed recently they think strength of schedule should be more heavily favored in selecting the CFP vs. raw victories. Ole Miss (9-3) is ranked No. 15 in the coaches poll and No. 13 in the CFP. Ole Miss beat Georgia (28-10) and South Carolina (27-3), but has losses to unranked Kentucky and Florida. Their third loss is to LSU (29-26)
The Crimson Tide (9-3) are the least likely of this trio to face the Illini since they have the inside track to an at-large CFP bid. Alabama needs SMU to defeat Clemson in the ACC championship game, which would eliminate the Tigers and send SMU to the CFP with an automatic bid. If Clemson wins, it gets the auto bid, and SMU would drop into the pool of at-large candidates to possibly be selected over the Tide. Bama has wins over Georgia (41-34), South Carolina (27-25), Missouri (34-0) and LSU (42-13) — but has losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Their third loss is to Tennessee (24-17).
When is CFP bracket out?
The final College Football Playoff top 25 rankings and the CFP playoff bracket will be released on Sunday, Dec. 8, one day after conference championship games. The show airs on ESPN from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
When will Illinois know bowl game opponent?
Bowl games will be settled Sunday, Dec. 8, after the College Football Playoff committee reveals the field for the first 12-team playoff, after which bowls will begin officially announcing agreements. Bowl season begins Dec. 14.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois bowl game odds updated: Latest on Illini bowl opponent
