Illinois football 2024 bowl game, date, time, location, and matchup

The Illinois football program buttoned up the regular season a couple of weeks ago.

It was an impressive run for the Illini, as Bret Bielema led the team to a nine-win campaign, which are the most wins for the program since the 2007 Rose Bowl run.

Winning nine games got Illinois as high as No. 20 in the College Football Playoff, but sadly, we couldn’t get into the 12-team tournament.

Despite not receiving an invite to the CFP, Illinois still had a great season and has made a great bowl game. We will be taking on some tough competition from the SEC as well.

Here is the Illinois football 2024 bowl game, date, time, location, and matchup

Illinois football 2024 bowl game

• Illinois will be playing in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. This bowl game has been in existence since 1947, with the inaugural winner being Catawba over Maryville, 31-6.

• The Citrus Bowl started as the Tangerine Bowl. In 1983, it changed to the Florida Citrus Bowl. In 1994, it became the Compusa Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2000, it was the Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2001, it was the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2003, it became the Capital One Bowl. In 2015, it was the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. In 2018, it was the Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s. In 2019, it became the VRBO Citrus Bowl. Starting in 2023, it has been the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Illinois football 2024 bowl game date

• The 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will take place on Tuesday, December 31.

Illinois football 2024 bowl game time

• The Illini will kick off the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at 3:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. CT on ABC.

Illinois football 2024 bowl game location

• Illinois has to travel down to Florida for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. It takes place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Illinois football 2024 bowl game matchup

• Since 2019, the Citrus Bowl has matched up the SEC vs. the Big Ten. That is the case again in 2024.

• Illinois will take on the 9-3 South Carolina Gamecocks. South Carolina finished No. 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

• The Illinois football program started in 1892, and we have never played South Carolina. This will be the first matchup in program history.