Who are the South Carolina vs. Illinois game announcers on ABC? All you need to know about the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl coverage team

The No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks will play the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl next Tuesday on ABC. Both teams are set to compete at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It will be the first time South Carolina and Illinois have faced each other.

The announcers covering the game for ABC will be play-by-play commentator Mark Jones and analyst Roddy Jones. Quint Kessenich will also be on the broadcast as the sideline reporter.

Fans can listen to the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl coverage on ESPN Radio. The radio broadcast will feature play-by-play commentator Sean Kelly, analyst Rene Ingoglia, and sideline reporter Marilyn Payne.

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: How to watch South Carolina vs. Illinois? Live stream options for the game

The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will air live at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. Fans can watch South Carolina (9-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) vs. Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) without cable if they have YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, or Fubo.

• Date: Dec. 31, 2024
• Time: 3 p.m. ET/noon PT
• TV Channel: ABC
• Live Stream: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, & Fubo
• Venue: Camping World Stadium

Standard admission tickets for the game are available on Ticketmaster. Fans purchase tickets for as low as $63 in both end zones. Tickets closer to the sidelines are available for resale price, with some seats requiring fans to buy more than one seat. One example is section 135, Row A, where two out of six seats must be purchased for $276 each.

South Carolina & Illinois enter Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on winning streaks

Both teams ended their regular season strong ahead of the bowl game. South Carolina finished on a six-game winning streak over opponents like No. 12 Clemson Tigers (10-4, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) and the Texas A&M Aggies (8-5, 5-3 SEC). In their last game, the Gamecocks won a close 17-14 contest over the Tigers in Week 14 on Nov. 30.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini enter the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on a three-game winning streak. On Nov. 30, they beat the Northwestern Wildcats (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) 38-28 to get their ninth win. It marked the first time the team has ended the regular schedule with a 9-3 record since 2007.

Betting Odds favor South Carolina to get their tenth win of the season over Illinois

Both teams will look for their tenth win to end their season on a high note. That said, South Carolina is the betting odds favorite to achieve the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl trophy. DraftKings has the Gamecocks as a -360 favorite.

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer will have quarterback LaNorris Sellers taking on his usual role as starting quarterback. Sellers is having a great season in his second year with the team, completing 172 passes for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's also shown fans he can be a threat if left open to run. In the win against Clemson, Sellers had 16 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Illinois caught a break after starting quarterback Luke Altmyer announced on Dec. 14 that he would return to the team next season. He was speculated to be entering the transfer portal but decided to keep playing for the Fighting Illini. This season, he has completed 198 passes for 2,543 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Altmyer will try to overcome the odds and lead his team to victory in the upcoming bowl game.