It has been a long time coming but the Illinois football team is officially going bowling.
On Sunday afternoon, all of the bowl game destinations were revealed. There was wide speculation about the potential destination, but the Illini will be heading to the Redbox Bowl on December 30 at 4 PM ET.
I was one of the people hoping the bowl game would be closer so I could attend, but the fact that Illinois is in a bowl game makes me happy. I am excited to see this Illini bunch play in the postseason. This will be the first time the Orange and Blue plays in a bowl game since 2014 when we got pounded by Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
The Illini finished the regular season with six wins, which is the most since that 2014 campaign. They look to now knock off a tough California team to get to the seven-win mark. If this happens, that would be the first time Illinois has hit seven wins since 2010 when we won the Texas Bowl over future Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III.
The matchup against Cal in the Redbox Bowl will be tough. They have a solid team with some solid talent behind center.
Cal finished their 2019 campaign with a record of 7-5. Their biggest win came in the second game of the season when they defeated, then ranked, No. 14 Washington. Of course, Washington finished with the same record as Cal, so that win isn’t exactly a great victory. You also have to take into account who was behind center for most of the season.
Quarterback Chase Garbers is the biggest threat for the Golden Bears. He has dealt with injuries this season but is 7-2 as the starter for Cal. The other three games he didn’t play and the team failed to come out with a victory. So, Illinois is going to have to go up against this kid who has thrown for 1,500 yards, 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Overall, Illinois has to travel three time zones and go up against a healthy Cal team. That is a tough test for a team like the Illini experiencing a bowl for the first time. But, with a coach like Lovie Smith, I am sure we will be ready.