[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]
The No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks (9-3) meet the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini (9-3) in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Tuesday from Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET (ABC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around the Ilinois vs. South Carolina odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
South Carolina closed out its regular season Nov. 30 with a 17-14 road win over the No. 13 Clemson Tigers, covering as a 2.5-point underdog. The Gamecocks rattled off 6 straight wins to end the regular season and barely missed the College Football Playoff. They covered in 5 of those and finished the regular season with a 9-3 against-the-spread (ATS) record.
The Fighting Illini beat the Northwestern Wildcats 38-28 to round out their regular season, closing as a 9.5-point favorite in the Nov. 30 battle. They have scored 38 points in 3 straight games and are 3-0 ATS in those. Illinois’ premier games came against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks, a 29-point loss, and against the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions, a 14-point loss. Illinois finished 8-3-1 ATS on the season.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+
Illinois vs. South Carolina odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Monday at 12:34 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Illinois +310 (bet $100 to win $310) | South Carolina -400 (bet $400 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Illinois +10 (-110) | South Carolina -10 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 49.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]
Illinois vs. South Carolina picks and predictions
Prediction
South Carolina 28, Illinois 23
Moneyline
PASS.
There’s no great value here. The Gamecocks (-400) have the better side and should come out on top, but they are too expensive to bet to win outright. The Fighting Illini (+310) have far more value on the spread.
Against the spread
BET FIGHTING ILLINI +10 (-110).
Illinois performed well for bettors as an underdog this season, posting a 5-2 ATS record in those 7 games. It played 5 games on the road and ended 4-1 ATS in those away performances. The Fighting Illini ranked 10th in the country in interceptions thrown per game, so they didn’t turn the ball over too frequently which should help them cover.
The Gamecocks have a strong defense, but their offense hasn’t necessarily performed at a high level, scoring 28 points on Vanderbilt and 17 points on Clemson in their last 4 weeks of the season. While they did cover well to end the regular season, the Gamecocks are 0-1 ATS as a double-digit favorite against a Power 4 opponent.
Take the side that ended the regular season on a high note. BACK FIGHTING ILLINI +10 (-110).
Over/Under
BET OVER 49.5 (-110).
The Gamecocks are 5-2 O/U and have scored at least 34 points in 3 of their last 5 games. They closed out the regular season 7-5 O/U.
The Fighting Illini went north of the total in their last 3 games and allowed at least 28 points in their last 2. They were just 5-7 O/U on the regular season, but were 4-3 O/U in their last 7. Considering the trends, BET OVER 49.5 (-110).
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow @nathanbeighle_ on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]