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The Kentucky Wildcats take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
South Carolina is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -142. Kentucky, meanwhile, enters as a +2.5 underdog and is +118 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 53.5 total points.
Here’s my Kentucky vs. South Carolina prediction and college football pick for Saturday, October 3.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Prediction
- Kentucky vs. South Carolina Pick: South Carolina -2.5
My South Carolina vs. Kentucky best bet is on the Gamecocks to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Odds
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -102 | 53.5 -112o / -108u | +118 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -120 | 53.5 -112o / -108u | -142 |
- Kentucky vs South Carolina point spread: South Carolina -2.5 (-120), Kentucky +2.5 (-102)
- Kentucky vs South Carolina over/under: 53.5 (-112o / -108u)
- Kentucky vs South Carolina moneyline: Kentucky +118, South Carolina -142
Kentucky vs South Carolina College Football Preview
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview: Solid Year 1
Year 1 for Will Stein in Lexington has gotten off to a solid start.
Kentucky heads to Columbia sitting at 3-1, featuring one of the more efficient offenses in the SEC thus far.
Quarterback Kenny Minchey has been pretty darn good through four games, completing 68.3% of his passes for 876 yards, with eight touchdowns to just one interception.
The duo of Jason Patterson and CJ Baxter also gives the UK offense a very formidable rushing attack — a challenge this week will be the fact that one of Kentucky's strengths runs directly into South Carolina's strongest defensive unit.
The Wildcats rank among the nation's best teams in Rushing Success Rate, but the Gamecocks have been excellent at limiting rushing efficiency, allowing opponents to stay on schedule on just 32.7% of rushing attempts.
To offset this, Minchey will need to attack vertically to Kenny Darby, whose 226 receiving yards lead the team, and force South Carolina's secondary to defend explosive plays downfield.
On the other side, the defensive numbers have been somewhat concerning thus far for the Wildcats.
They've struggled to consistently stop the run, ranking outside the top 90 nationally in Rushing Success Rate allowed and outside the top 110 in Rush PPA allowed.
Those numbers are worrisome against a South Carolina offense that will make it a point of emphasis to establish the run and also has an extremely mobile quarterback in LaNorris Sellers.
Generating turnovers has helped this defense get off the field throughout September, but it's unclear if that's a sustainable formula.
The Wildcats will need to lean on defensive lineman Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace, who leads the team with 2.5 sacks, to get into the backfield and pressure Sellers.
I have doubts as to whether or not UK will be able to force the Gamecocks into many punting situations.
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview: Do or Die
It was an important year for Shane Beamer and company, and the last two weeks have caused many of the Gamecock fans to grow restless.
South Carolina lost at home to Mississippi State in a game it at one point led by double digits, and then got dominated last week in Tuscaloosa by Alabama.
This now feels like a do-or-die spot for Beamer's team, where it will either come out inspired in front of its home crowd and prove it still has some fight left this season, or come out lethargic and be staring three consecutive losses right in the eye.
I think Beamer still has this locker room intact, so I'm betting on the former.
The Gamecocks offense is still averaging 499.3 yards and 38.5 points per game while ranking among the nation's top rushing offenses at 262.0 rushing yards per contest.
Sellers has been up-and-down throughout his career in Columbia, but when he has it rolling, he's one of the most talented signal-callers in America.
Running back Matt Fuller is one of the more underappreciated backs in the conference and has averaged over 6.5 yards per carry thus far in the season.
Kentucky's run defense will have its hands full against a Gamecock offense that can hurt you on the ground in a bunch of different ways.
On the other side of the ball, there's talent but also plenty of issues.
The secondary has gotten torched in recent weeks, but I don't know that the Kentucky passing attack has the firepower to exploit it as Mississippi State and Alabama did.
Additionally, star edge rusher Dylan Stewart won't play due to suspension, but could that be a moment where the rest of this defense rallies together in his absence? It's certainly possible.
Forcing a turnover or two would certainly go a long way in helping the Gamecocks create separation on their home field.
Kentucky vs South Carolina Pick, Betting Analysis
I think this is a buy-low spot on a Gamecock team that's still more talented than Kentucky and should treat this game as a last-stand type of spot.
The Kentucky win at Texas A&M looked massive at the time but has aged poorly after what the Aggies showed last week against LSU.
I don't think the Kentucky defense will have an answer for Sellers and the SC offense, and while the Gamecock defense has several flaws, I've still got some faith in it to create some negative plays inside Williams-Brice Stadium.
It may not be pretty, but give me South Carolina to win and cover in bounce-back mode on Saturday afternoon.
Pick: South Carolina -2.5
Kentucky vs South Carolina Betting Trends to Know
