Fighting Illini Are Citrus Bowl Bound - December 2024

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The 2024 season for the Fighting Illini will be one that I remember for A LONG TIME.  We went to a number of home games down in Champaign and between the start times (2:30 pm on CBS!), the weather (Chamber of Commerce Days), the tailgating (Thanks to Equation Boy/Man for Lot 31) and...well...the winning....the 'vibes' (as the kids say) are way different this year than they have for MOST of my fandom.

Yesterday, the DIA annouced we've accepted a bid to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Cheez-it Citrus Bowl on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. 

From the Fighting Illini Football press release:

The #20 Illinois football team has accepted an invitation to play in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, it was announced Sunday. Illinois will play #15 South Carolina at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. CT on ABC.

The Illini qualified for the 21st bowl game in program history and the Illini's second New Year's bowl in Florida in the last three seasons, along with the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl. Illinois will return to the Citrus Bowl for the first time since the 1989 season, when RB Howard Griffith and QB Jeff George led the Fighting Illini to a 31-21 victory over Virginia in the 1990 Citrus Bowl.
Just 21 bowl games in the history of the program and back in a 'big time' bowl game for the first time in more than 20 years when we played in the January 1, 2008 Rose Bowl (2007 season).  
 

Fighting Illini In 2024 Citrus Bowl


I've already texted my niece and nephews who are undergrads down in C-U to ask them to go take pics of all the Citrus Bowl merch at Gameday Spirit.  I know what I'm asking for as a gift for Christmas.

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