South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer shared the response some SEC fans had to the Bret Bielema incident at the Citrus Bowl.

Former Florida State quarterback-turned-analyst Danny Kanell came to Illinois coach Bret Bielema's rescue following the release of Josh Pate's unofficial "JP Poll," which omitted the Fighting Illini despite beating Pate's 10th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in the Citrus Bowl New Year's Eve.

South Carolina Republicans slammed the Biden administration's border policies after an alleged bomb hoax by an illegal immigrant from Jordan shut a highway down for hours.

Despite winning its first bowl game in over a decade, the first time under soon-to-be fifth-year coach Bret Bielema, CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate failed to include Illinois in his "unofficial" final poll to put a bow on the 2024-25 college football season.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer celebrates during the Illini’s 21-17 win against South Carolina in  the Citrus Bowl. College Football Reporter/Columnist Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer celebrates during the Illini’s 21-17 win against South Carolina in  the Citrus Bowl.

South Carolina football loses a top-100 recruit in the 2026 class, forcing HC Shane Beamer to explore other options

On Wednesday, college football analyst Josh Pate dropped his final top-25 of the year, and he had a top-five of Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame and Georgia, respectively. However, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema took offense to Pate's rating since his Illini team was left out of the top 25.

Illinois will have to prove the doubters wrong again next season after coach Bret Bielema improved his previous year's win total by five games this season, resulting in a bowl victory.

Illinois won 10 games in 2024 including the Citrus Bowl. Here is how the Illini and coach Bret Bielema ranked in the final coaches and AP polls.

In the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between South Carolina and Illinois, Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer felt pretty good about where his team sat at halftime. The game was well under control at the time, and though there had been some iffy red-zone work, there was nothing to suggest panic was in order.

The Illinois football team will have a target on our backs come the 2025 campaign. With the success of the football field comes expectations. The Illini is comi

The Gamecocks also had some impressive wins over No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 23 Missouri and No. 21 Clemson, but ended the season on a sour note, losing to the Illinois Fighting Illini 21-17 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.