ReliaQuest Bowl 2023: Mississippi State vs Illinois Kickoff Time, TV Channel, Betting, Prediction & More

College football bowl season has arrived as teams across the country are preparing to face their opponents with the hope of ending the year on a high note. The 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl will pit the No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) against the Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4) in what will surely be an intense game.

Here's everything you need to know about the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday, Jan. 2.

Where is ReliaQuest Bowl 2023?

The 2023 edition of the ReliaQuest Bowl will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. Raymond James Stadium serves as the home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and South Florida Bulls college football team. The stadium opened in 1998, seats 65,890 and is hosting for the 25th time.

When is Mississippi State vs Illinois ReliaQuest Bowl?

The ReliaQuest Bowl is scheduled during college football's bowl season. The game will be played on Monday, Jan. 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET and airs live on ESPN2.

ReliaQuest Bowl Mississippi State vs Illinois Prediction and Odds 2023

Our ReliaQuest Bowl prediction is from The Duel's official Mississippi State vs Illinois betting preview.

I really like Mississippi State in this matchup, especially after its win over Ole Miss (ranked No. 20 at the time), proving that the former can handle some of the better competition. It's hard to say the same about Illinois, especially after three losses in its last four games with the only win in that stretch coming against the 1-11 Northwestern Wildcats.

Even with the Fighting Illini's strong defense, they're beatable through the air. They allow over 80 more passing yards in road and neutral site games (219.8) than they do at home (139.5). That might not be an eye-popping total, but it gives the Bulldogs' offense more than enough to work with after averaging 32.6 completions (No. 1) and 310.9 passing yards (No. 11) this fall.

Illinois has also been outscored 70-38 in its last two bowl games, not winning in over a decade. With Mississippi State having won the Armed Forces Bowl just two years ago and going 10-5 in its last 15 bowl outings, it's easy to see that the Bulldogs are capable of pulling off an upset to kick off 2023.

All NCAAF betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: MSST: (-110) | ILL: (-110)
Spread: MSST: -1.5 (-122) | ILL: +1.5 (+100)
Total: 45.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Final Score Prediction: Mississippi State: 24 | Illinois: 21

Mississippi State vs Illinois History

Mississippi State and Illinois have met head-to-head on the football field twice. The Fighting Illini emerged victorious, 27-0, in a 1923 matchup and the Bulldogs emerged victorious, 28-21, in a 1980 matchup.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.