Illinois, Mississippi State slated to meet in Reliaquest Bowl

The table for college football bowl season is set, as the final Top 25 CFP rankings have been released, the College Football Playoff matchups have been set, and the New Year’s Six bowls have been announced. Individual bowl matchups have also been set, including the Reliaquest Bowl, as Illinois will take on Mississippi State.

This will be the first edition of the Reliaquest Bowl, which was previously the Outback Bowl, as the 8-4 Fighting Illini will take on the 9-4 Bulldogs in Tampa, Florida on Monday, January 2 in Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This will be the second time in school history for both programs that they’ve faced off, with the last being in 1980 when Mississippi State bested Illinois 28-21.

This year’s matchup will feature two contrasting teams regarding styles of play, as the Illinois offense features running back Chase Brown, who finished the regular season with 1,643 rushing yards, which ranked first in the Big Ten and second in the entire country. The Fighting Illini also boasts one of the nation’s top-ranked defenses, holding opponents to just 12.3 points per game ranking No. 1 across the entire FBS and 263.8 total yards per game ranking second in the country.

On the flip side, Mississippi State’s air raid offense led by head coach Mike Leach features one of the most lethal passing attacks in college football. Bulldogs quarterback Will Rodgers led the SEC in passing yards this regular season with 3,713, as well as passing touchdowns with 34, both top ten in the nation as well.

Rodgers has been a master distributor this year, completing pass attempts to nearly 20 different targets this season, led by receivers Rara Thomas and Caleb Ducking, who each have over 40 receptions and 7 or more touchdowns catches this season.

Illinois has failed to reach a bowl game in their past two seasons, but will now reach one in their second year under head coach Bret Bielema following a five-win debut season last year. Mississippi State on the other hand is no stranger to bowl games, now reaching a bowl for a thirteenth straight season as a program. Leach will be looking to break his even 1-1 bowl record as the Bulldog’s head coach, as they won in the Armed Forces Bowl in his first season and fell to his former team Texas Tech in last year’s Liberty Bowl.