Kentucky Wildcats (3-1) vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2)
October 3, 2026 4:15 pm EDT
The Line: South Carolina Gamecocks -3.5 ; Over/Under: 52.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kentucky Wildcats and the South Carolina Gamecocks meet Saturday in college football action from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Here’s a South Carolina vs Kentucky prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best South Carolina vs Kentucky pick.
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
Kentucky had a pretty routine matchup right out of the gate this year, taking out a visiting Youngstown State squad 45-13. The next game was a tough one at home versus Alabama, and the Wildcats fell 45-17 in that one. Kentucky bounced back very well on the road versus Texas A&M though, taking an improbable road upset win 31-21 to move to 2-1 overall.
Last weekend versus South Alabama, the Wildcats were up early but had a sketchy 24-21 edge by the second half. Kentucky finished off with a 21-0 run though, and ended up winning easily 45-21. QB Kenny Minchey was 19-of-25 for 177 yards and a score. Jason Patterson had 137 yards and three scores while CJ Baxter added 16 carries for 149 yards and a TD.
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview
Over on the South Carolina side, they didn’t have any issues in their opener either. The Gamecocks easily dispatched an overmatched Kent State team 57-0, then bagged another blowout win over Towson 45-9 the next weekend. South Carolina was handed their first loss in game three however, losing 41-34 versus an incoming Mississippi State team.
Matched up against Alabama last weekend, the Gamecocks were outclassed. South Carolina gave up 35 points in the first half and could only muster another eight points from there themselves in a 49-18 blowout loss. QB LaNorris Sellers was 18-of-30 for 185 yards, one TD and one pick. Matt Fuller led the rush with 19 carries for 112 yards and one TD.
Kentucky Wildcats @ South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Trends: Week 5
South Carolina Gamecocks Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 5, Matthew Fuller is one of only 16 players averaging over 50.0 rushing yards and 20.0 receiving yards per game this season.
Kentucky Wildcats Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 5, Jordan Castell ranks T1st in the Southeastern Conference for interceptions (2) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- South Carolina ranks T134th among FBS teams for 4th down conversion percentage against this season (100.0).
- South Carolina ranks T10th among FBS teams for Q4 points per game this season (11.8).
- Kentucky ranks 138th among FBS teams for 3rd down conversion percentage this season (23.1).
- Kentucky ranks T5th among FBS teams for interceptions this season (6).
South Carolina vs Kentucky Prediction
I’ll stay with Kentucky but you could argue this one either way. It’ll be an interesting matchup. In any case, the Wildcats took a little while to get going versus South Alabama last weekend but eventually accounted for 567 yards, 390 rush yards, 8.3 yards per play and 26 first downs. Kentucky was pretty bad on third downs (2-of-8), but the defense held the Jaguars to just 4-of-15 in that department on the other side.
As for South Carolina, they managed 419 yards on Alabama but also went just 3-of-14 on third downs and had two turnovers. The defense gave up 489 yards, 365 pass yards and 20 first downs to the Tide, who didn’t have a lot of trouble getting the win. The Gamecocks should match up much better with Kentucky.
