The South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Check out our college football odds series for our South Carolina Kentucky prediction and pick.

The Kentucky Wildcats have a lot of injuries to deal with this week. 247Sports documented the list of key health questions connected to important UK players. What is especially notable about these injuries is that they affect both sides of the ball and relate to centerpiece players such as quarterback Will Levis. If Kentucky does not have Levis for this game, the Wildcats' margin for error would significantly decrease against a South Carolina team hungry for a quality win under quarterback Spencer Rattler. Not having key offensive linemen or linebackers would reduce that margin even more.

South Carolina doesn't face the same amount — or extent — of injury problems as Kentucky does, but the Gamecocks have their own considerable set of worries, mostly related to performance. Rattler looked solid last week, but the opponent was South Carolina State, an FCS school which was never expected to threaten the Gamecocks. Even then, South Carolina coughed up two interceptions. They weren't Rattler's fault — they went off the hands of South Carolina receivers who could have caught those passes — but the larger reality remains: South Carolina is not executing as well as it could or should on offense. This offense was smothered by Georgia. It took too long to get going against Arkansas in a “too little, too late” loss to the Razorbacks. Kentucky's defense has often flustered South Carolina's offense in recent years. With Kentucky being shorthanded at several positions, it's a real opportunity for the Gamecocks to snag a road upset victory, but this is not the kind of game South Carolina has usually won. Kentucky leans on its defense and knows how to win low-scoring, ugly games. This game fits the profile of a game the Wildcats can claim even without scoring a lot of points.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the South Carolina-Kentucky College Football odds.

College Football Odds: South Carolina-Kentucky Odds

South Carolina Gamecocks: +6.5 (-110)

Kentucky Wildcats: -6.5 (-110)

Over: 46.5 (-110)

Under: 46.5 (-110)

Why South Carolina Could Cover the Spread

The Gamecocks are looking at Kentucky's injuries and seeing a roster which is noticeably weaker than it was one week ago. Kentucky is a better team if healthy, but UK is not healthy right now. South Carolina doesn't need to be spectacular to win. It only needs to be solid. This means converting a reasonable percentage of third downs, converting red-zone opportunities, and avoiding turnovers. The Gamecocks don't have to score 30 points or roll up 450 yards. They just need to be good at the right times in this game. Spencer Rattler, having transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma, is learning how to play with a new set of receivers. It has taken some time for him to establish a good rapport with them. This could be the game when that relationship becomes cemented and solidified. That could make the difference for South Carolina.

Why Kentucky Could Cover the Spread

Kentucky has feasted in these kinds of situations over the years. Kentucky has been masterful at winning a low-scoring rockfight against a mediocre opponent whom it can dominate on defense. Kentucky won't need much from its shorthanded offense if its defense can suffocate South Carolina and — crucially — get a few turnovers from the Gamecocks which create short fields and reduce the burden on the UK offense. Kentucky has done this before. It can do so again.

Final South Carolina-Kentucky Prediction & Pick

Kentucky is not going to score much, and it won't allow much on defense. This game definitely feels like a 16-10 or 19-16 kind of game. Go with the under.

Final South Carolina-Kentucky Prediction & Pick: Under 46.5