The Illinois Fighting Illini football team heads to the bowl season parked No. 21 in all three major polls: the US LBM coaches poll, The Associated Press poll and the College Football Playoff rankings.
Now, where will the Illini play this college football postseason?
Coach Bret Bielema and the Illini will find out their postseason details this weekend. With the CFP now released, here is what experts now are saying about the Illini landing place in bowl season.
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Will Illinois make a bowl game?
Yes. The No. 21-ranked Illini have won nine games and secured a bowl bid for the second time in three seasons under Bielema, who is now 27-22 in four seasons in Champaign.
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Every expert has the Illini playing in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve against a member of the SEC.
It seems as if Alabama does not make the CFP, the Crimson Tide will be the Illini opponent. If Bama gets one of the last at-large slots, South Carolina or Ole Miss will be the likely Illinois opponent.
Here is a full list of the experts choices, some of which have not been updated since the latest CFP rankings.
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. Ole Miss, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (College Football News)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (247 Sports)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. Alabama, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (Bleacher Report)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (Sports Illustrated)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (Action Network’s Brett McMurphy)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (New York Times)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (USA Today)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. Ole Miss, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (CBS Sports)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (Athlon Sports)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, Orlando, Fla. (Sporting News)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (ESPN’s Mark Schlabach)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. Alabama, Dec. 31, in Orlando, Fla. (ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura)
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Citrus Bowl: Illinois vs. South Carolina, Dec. 31, Orlando, Fla. (College Football Network)
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 is bowl game schedule out?
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.
What bowl games are in College Football Playoff?
The College Football Playoff quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games:
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Cotton Bowl
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Orange Bowl
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Fiesta Bowl
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Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
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Rose Bowl
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Sugar Bowl
The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
When do College Football Playoff games start
The College Football Playoff first round begins on Friday, Dec. 20 and will air on ABC/ESPN at 7 p.m. The other three first-round games are Saturday, Dec. 21 on TNT Sports and ABC/ESPN. These four games are at campus sites.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois bowl game projections updated: Illini’s latest predictions
