Jacksonville State vs South Carolina Odds & Picks: How to Bet Battle of Gamecocks

The battle of the Gamecocks takes place Saturday as South Carolina hosts Jacksonville State.

The Southeastern Conference program has dropped four straight to fall to 2-6, while Jacksonville State is 7-2 (5-1 in Conference USA).

This should be an exciting contest with a lot of points, so let's make some picks for Jacksonville State vs. South Carolina.

Jacksonville State finds itself in a similar position to James Madison as both are ineligible to participate in a bowl or conference title game.

There is a chance Jacksonville State could receive a bowl bid if not enough teams finish with a winning record, but it is a shame it can’t contend for the CUSA championship.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez has his team playing well. In fact, Jacksonville State has run for at least 100 yards in all 20 games under Rodriguez.

Additionally, JSU's offense is averaging 217.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in CUSA and eighth in the nation.

However, the main story has been the defense, which ranks in the top 20 in rush success (second), line yards (sixth) and quality drives (12th). This is the same unit that has 18 takeaways on the season, which is tied for third-most among all FBS teams.

After back-to-back winning bowl trips in his first two seasons, coach Shane Beamer is going to need a late run to keep that streak alive.

It also hasn’t helped that four of the six losses have come to teams ranked in the Top 25 and five have been on the road.

The dynamic duo of Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette have powered the offense. Rattler is ranked 35th in the country in passing yards per game and 15th in completion percentage.

Legette has been his primary target and ranks in the top 25 in the FBS in both receiving yards per game and yards per reception. I think he’ll like playing against a Non-Power 5 defense.

The must-have app for college football bettors

The best NCAAF betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Jacksonville State and South Carolina match up statistically:

Jacksonville State Offense vs. South Carolina Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	52	87
Line Yards	111	51
Pass Success	106	128
Havoc	48	121
Finishing Drives	91	55
Quality Drives	113	124

South Carolina Offense vs. Jacksonville State Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	118	2
Line Yards	116	6
Pass Success	72	71
Havoc	118	30
Finishing Drives	64	61
Quality Drives	97	12

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	79	33
PFF Coverage	59	123
Special Teams SP+	80	24
Middle 8	56	104
Seconds per Play	21.2 (1)	25.6 (48)
Rush Rate	64.1% (8)	47.4% (122)

When I look at these teams, it is very tempting to take the underdog against a struggling SEC squad. However, I think South Carolina will be motivated to get back on track for a bowl berth.

So, my attention is set on the total, which I believe will fly past the over/under of 54.5. I like it up to 56, but you want to catch this before the key number of 55.

Yes, Jacksonville State’s defensive metrics are impressive, but it has played a soft schedule.

When Jacksonville State has played competent offenses like Coastal Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Liberty, they've given up at least 30 points. And I’m not sure any of those programs are as explosive as South Carolina.

I don't have much good to say about South Carolina’s defense. In all three contests at Williams-Brice Stadium, this total would have been cleared. In fact, South Carolina's home games are averaging a total of 71.7 points per game.

Once you add in the fact that JSU has the second-fastest tempo in the country, I love the potential for points in this matchup.