The latest on the Illini Bowl opponent

The Illinois football team doesn’t officially have a bowl destination, but every pundit has the Fighting Illini at the same landing spot.

The Fighting Illini are scheduled to play in the Citrus Bowl, which will take place on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m. at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

But who will Illinois play in the Citrus Bowl? Let’s take a look at the three most likely bowl opponents – all 9-3 SEC teams in the CFP bubble.

Arguments for the CFP:Ole Miss, South Carolina or Alabama?

Outspoken coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks appear to be the clear favorites 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 has not suffered any “bad” losses – with setbacks to LSU (36-33), Ole Miss (27 -3) and Alabama (27-25), who were all ranked in the top 17 at this point in their games.

Another outspoken coach, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, could also be the Illini opponent. Would be an exciting matchup, as both Kiffin and Illini coach Bret Bielema have recently spoken about how they believe strength of schedule should be given greater consideration when selecting the CFP compared to raw wins. Ole Miss (9-3) is ranked No. 15 in the coaches’ poll and No. 13 in the CFP. Ole Miss defeated Georgia (28-10) and South Carolina (27-3), but has losses to Kentucky and Florida, which are not be on the ranking list. Their third loss comes against LSU (29-26).

The Crimson Tide (9-3) are the least likely of the trio to face the Illini because they have the inside knowledge for 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 would receive the automatic bid and SMU would drop into the pool of at-large candidates to potentially be selected via the Tide. Bama has wins over Georgia (41-34), South Carolina (27-25), Missouri (34-0) and LSU (42-13) – but losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Their third loss comes against Tennessee (24-17).

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The latest on the Illini Bowl opponent

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