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South Carolina emerges as early betting favorite ahead of Citrus Bowl matchup against Illinois

Griffin Goodwynby: Griffin Goodwyn12/11/24griffin_goodwyn
Shane Beamer
Shane Beamer (Photo by Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

Eleven days removed from its Palmetto Bowl victory over Clemson, South Carolina is a double-digit favorite over Illinois in the two teams’ Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup.

The Vegas Insider consensus line sat at Carolina -11 early Wednesday morning, with the over/under at 48 points.

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Draft Kings has the Gamecocks favored by 11 points, but FanDuel has its line at South Carolina -10.5. Here is a full breakdown of where different sportsbooks set their early lines:

  • MGM: South Carolina -11.5
  • Caesars: South Carolina -11
  • ESPN BET: South Carolina -10.5
  • Bally Bet: South Carolina -10.5
  • BetRivers: South Carolina -10.5

The Gamecocks (9-3, 5-3 SEC) finished the 2024 season on a six-game winning streak. This stretch was punctuated by a 17-14 road victory over in-state rival Clemson on Nov. 30.

In addition to that win, Carolina has victories over Old Dominion, Kentucky, Akron, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Missouri, Vanderbilt and Wofford. The Gamecocks have losses to LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama, all of which were top 25 opponents.

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Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) finished this season as the conference’s top team that missed out on the College Football Playoff.

This year, the Fighting Illini picked up wins over Eastern Illinois, Kansas, Central Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers and Northwestern. Illinois suffered defeats to Oregon and Penn State – who both played in the Big Ten Championship – as well as Minnesota.

New Year’s Eve will mark the first time South Carolina has played an official game against Illinois. This won’t be the Gamecocks’ first trip to the Citrus Bowl, though, as they previously appeared in the 2012 and 2014 editions of the contest. They also played in the game back in 1975 when it was known as the Tangerine Bowl.

This year’s Citrus Bowl will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, and the game will air on ABC.

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