An in-state battle is set to take place in South Carolina Thursday night! It's time to continue our college football odds series with an SC State-South Carolina prediction and pick.
This game was moved from Saturday to Thursday, and it's safe to safe Hurricane Ian had something to do with the change. With just one other game on the night, many might tune in to check out Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks. This isn't an exciting game by any means, but when an SEC team is involved it's hard to not want to pay attention.
SC State comes into this game (1-2) on the year and they are coming off of a loss to NC A&T 41-27. It's been a tough start to the year for the HBCU after ending 2021 on a high note. They won't have to travel far, but they have a battle tonight against a team that has a lot of question marks. South Carolina is (2-2) and is fresh off of a 56-20 win over Charlotte. With Kentucky on the schedule next week, this is an important game for South Carolina to fix the mistakes.
Here are the SC State-South Carolina college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: SC State-South Carolina Odds
SC State: +39.5 (-110)
South Carolina: -39.5 (-110)
Over: 56.5 (-112)
Under: 56.5 (-108)
Why SC State Could Cover The Spread
SC State will struggle in this game offensively with the strong defense from South Carolina. This will be the toughest defense the Bulldogs will face all season and quarterback Corey Fields must be at his best. Last week against NC A&T, Fields was able to utilize his arm and throw for 316 yards and four touchdowns. However, he threw two INTs which proved to be costly. The senior didn't have much of an opportunity to throw prior to last game, as he combined for just 31 attempts in Weeks 1/2. After attempting 49 last week, the offense now has some experience to run with. The Gamecocks will make it tough to throw the ball, but Fields must find a way to get it done. Running back Kendrell Flowers didn't play last week but is expected to be back tonight.
I don't expect the Bulldogs to score a lot of points. That means the defense must step up even more. Luckily for them, Rattler hasn't answered many questions for SC so they have a chance to really get in his head. SC State's defense has allowed 130 points in three games. The Gamecocks will find the endzone and so the Bulldogs must force a few turnovers to keep them in it. If they can capitalize on forcing turnovers and forcing SC to kick field goals rather than get in the endzone, then they have a chance to cover this 40-point spread.
Why South Carolina Could Cover The Spread
This is what many would call a “trap” game for the Gamecocks. Are they capable of dominating SC State? Yes, however, there might be some roadblocks in the way in order for them to cover this spread. They are coming off of a blowout win against Charlotte at home. They know they are capable of doing it, but with the weather looking bad and on a short week, scoring a ton of points might not be necessary. The Gamecocks might just do whatever is necessary to win this game so don't expect them to run up the score.
Rattler isn't playing at the level he hoped to be at when he transferred to Columbia. The former Sooner is 77-124 with 909 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions on the year. Those five interceptions have been costly and two came against No. 1 Georgia. In the win against Charlotte, he passed for just 187 yards while the run game was the main factor. The offense knows what they will get from the run game as they scored six rushing touchdowns last week. This is the time for them to let Rattler loose as they will face a tough defense next week.
Final SC State-South Carolina Prediction & Pick
Rattler and company will win this game. However, 39.5 points are too much for me to consider taking the spread. This shouldn't be much of a high-scoring affair with it being on a short week. Take SC State to cover on the road and consider the under at 56.5 as well.
Final SC State-South Carolina Prediction & Pick: SC State +39.5 (-110); Under 56.5 (-108)
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