The South Carolina Gamecocks and Tennessee Volunteers meet Saturday in week 5 college football action at Neyland Stadium. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview
The South Carolina Gamecocks look for their first road win to get above a .500 record. South Carolina has won 3 of its last 5 road games. Spencer Rattler is completing 74.2 percent of his passes for 1,242 yards, 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Xavier Legette and Eddie Lewis have combined for 676 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, while Trey Knox has 10 receptions. The South Carolina Gamecocks ground game is averaging 75.8 yards per contest, and Mario Anderson leads the way with 129 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensively, South Carolina is allowing 26.5 points and 434.3 yards per game. Debo Williams leads the South Carolina Gamecocks with 31 tackles, T.J. Sanders has 3 sacks and Xzavier McLeod has 2 interceptions.
South Carolina Gamecocks Team Facts
- South Carolina has lost each of its last 10 September games against AP-ranked teams.
- South Carolina has covered the spread in eight of its last 10 road games against AP-ranked teams.
- South Carolina has won the first half in four of its last five games against conference opponents.
- South Carolina has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against conference opponents.
- Ten of South Carolina’s last 12 road games in September have gone UNDER the total points line.
Tennessee Volunteers Betting Preview
The Tennessee Volunteers look for their third home win to improve to 4-1 on the season. Tennessee hasn’t lost a home game since November 2021. Joe Milton III is completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 925 yards, 8 touchdowns and 1 interception. Ramel Keyton and Bru McCoy have combined for 401 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, while Squirrel White has 17 receptions. The Tennessee Volunteers ground game is averaging 229.5 yards per contest, and Jaylen Wright leads the way with 312 yards on 45 carries. Defensively, Tennessee is allowing 17.3 points and 302.5 yards per game. Aaron Beasley leads the Tennessee Volunteers with 29 tackles, Tyler Baron has 4 sacks and Kamal Hadden has 1 interception.
Tennessee Volunteers Team Facts
- Tennessee has won each of its last 11 games at Neyland Stadium.
- Tennessee has covered the spread in five of its last six games at Neyland Stadium.
- Tennessee has won the first half in each of its last five home games against conference opponents.
- Tennessee has won the first quarter in five of its last six home games against conference opponents.
- Each of the last four games between South Carolina and Tennessee have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Tennessee ranked 1st among FBS teams for points per game last season (46.1).
- Tennessee ranked 1st among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (15.1).
- South Carolina ranked 18th among FBS teams for Q3 points per game last season (8.8).
- South Carolina ranked 25th among FBS teams for H2 points per game last season (16.5).
Randy’s Pick
The Tennessee Volunteers are the more talented, balanced team and should be decent sized favorites at home. However, South Carolina has a star quarterback who has the Gamecocks eighth in passing offense, and that gives them a fighting chance each time they take the field. Also, South Carolina beat Tennessee last year by dropping 63 points on its head. The Gamecocks also went toe to toe with Georgia on the road and played a ranked UNC team in the opening week, so this is a battle tested group early. This could be a competitive SEC showdown. I’ll grab the points with the road team.
