Illinois Football on Collision Course with SEC Superpower

If the Illini beat Northwestern on Saturday, can they pack their bags for Disney World?

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Arian Smith (11) is tackled by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Zabien Brown (2) after a long reception to set up a touchdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated Georgia 41-34. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Just imagine if Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer had failed to get off that fourth-down pass to Pat Bryant at Rutgers and, say, been sacked instead. Or suppose Bryant had dropped the pass for an incompletion – or caught it and then gone to the ground somewhere just outside the red zone, leading to a missed attempt at a winning kick.

If any of those things had happened – if the Illini had lost that game and were sitting at 7-4 instead of 8-3 – we'd be talking about a relative snoozefest of a bowl scenario.

PAT BRYANT HOUSE CALL 🤯

He scores on fourth down with 4 second left for @Illinifootball ‼️#B1GFootball on Peacock 💻 pic.twitter.com/7VmxZztAqw

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 23, 2024

Instead, how does a New Year's Eve date with Alabama sound?

The national experts are almost entirely in agreement: If the Illini win their regular-season finale Saturday against Northwestern at Wrigley Field, and if the Crimson Tide (also 8-3) win as expected against rival Auburn in Tuscaloosa, it'll be the Illini against the Tide in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at 2 p.m. (CT) from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura foresees this very matchup, as do 247 Sports' Brad Crawford, CBS Sports' Jerry Palm, USA Today's Erick Smith, Action Network's Brett McMurphy and the folks at College Football News.

One notable exception: ESPN's Mark Schlabach, who has it Illinois vs. South Carolina in the Citrus.

A couple of weeks ago, oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag projected for this site that Alabama would be a 20.5-point favorite against Illinois. There's a strong chance that will drop, though – and it could drop quite a bit – if this matchup comes to fruition. Why? Bowl opt-outs. No doubt, an Alabama team is always going to be expected to have more of them than an Illinois team in a non-College Football Playoff scenario.

Game Week Central ➖ Auburnhttps://t.co/jWkHobBtDq#RollTide pic.twitter.com/AkED6wDp3K

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 25, 2024

How many Tide starters would hang up their helmets a game early? There could be a lot of them. That might at least make things interesting in Orlando.

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