The South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Missouri is favored by 9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -340. The total is set at 48.5 points.
Here’s my South Carolina vs. Missouri prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 20.
South Carolina vs Missouri Prediction
- South Carolina vs. Missouri Pick: Missouri -9.5 (-110, bet365)
My Missouri vs. South Carolina best bet is on the Tigers to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
South Carolina vs Missouri Odds
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | +270 |
| Missouri Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | -340 |
- South Carolina vs Missouri point spread: Missouri -9.5 (-110), South Carolina +9.5 (-110)
- South Carolina vs Missouri over/under: 48.5 (-110o / -110u)
- South Carolina vs Missouri moneyline: South Carolina +270, Missouri -340
South Carolina vs Missouri Preview
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview: Shaking Off the Cobwebs
First and foremost, what’s the status of South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers?
After taking a shot to the head against Vanderbilt and getting ruled out for the rest of the game, his Week 4 status went up in the air.
Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer has a rule around the facility – if you don’t practice on either Tuesday or Wednesday, you’re not playing in the upcoming week.
All eyes were zeroed in on campus, and based on reports, Sellers was in practice on Wednesday and was a full participant on Thursday
From here on, it’s up to Sellers and Beamer.
Regardless of whether it’s Sellers coming on or if it’s sixth-year quarterback Luke Doty, there needs to be a little more out of two specific receivers.
Mazeo Bennett Jr. and Jared Brown are two receivers who, coming into this season, were expected to play big parts of the offense.
In three games, Brown has two catches for 15 yards, while Bennett has four catches for 33 yards.
Instead, it’s been the Nyck Harbor Show, who’s usually good for a big play, as well as Vandrevius Jones and freshman Donovan Murph.
Still, the Gamecocks need to be better through the air. They rank 98th nationally in Pass Success Rate and 112th in Passing Downs Success Rate.
On the ground, Sellers is usually a major threat to scramble. But if Sellers can’t go, expect Rahsul Faison, who’s averaging five yards per carry on 27 carries, to get a lot of work.
Initially, I thought the defense would be exceptional this season, and the first two games were proof of that. But after letting up 31 points to Vanderbilt, I may reconsider.
DQ Smith and JayR Johnson have proven to be dogs on defense, but coming into Missouri could pose problems for them.
Missouri Tigers Betting Preview: Beau Knows Best
Eli Drinkwitz doesn’t get enough credit for the program he’s built, and I think Missouri is only going to go up from here.
So far, I’m blown away by quarterback Beau Pribula.
The transfer from Penn State always showed out in the limited snaps he received, but now as the full-time starter, he’s performed at a high level, completing an SEC-leading 76.6% of his passes for seven touchdowns and only one interception.
Granted, two of the games this season were against Central Arkansas and Louisiana, but when battling Kansas, he more than held his own.
He’s formed a quick and potent connection with senior transfer Kevin Coleman Jr., who leads the SEC in receptions, as well as junior Marquis Johnson.
Mizzou is at that fine medium for me when it comes to measuring the data. Sometimes, teams that are too explosive can be trigger-happy and attempt to make something out of nothing – yet for the Tigers, they seem content with moving the ball forward at their own pace.
They rank in the top-20 nationally in Pass PPA and Pass Success Rate, as well as Passing Downs PPA and Passing Downs Success Rate.
The run game has gone bananas, with Ahmad Hardy being the true alpha in this running back room. But don’t sleep on Jamal Roberts, who may not have as many carries, but runs as efficiently. Both running backs are averaging over 7.5 yards per carry.
Hardy is only a sophomore, and he’s blown the doors off college football already. In his freshman season with UL Monroe, he led the Sun Belt with 1,351 rushing yards and a leading 13 touchdowns.
Now, he’s currently leading the SEC in rushing yards with 462, crushing the pace he was on before.
South Carolina vs Missouri Pick, Betting Analysis
It’s too early in the season to drop hyperboles, but this could end up being one of South Carolina’s most important games.
Missouri has looked fantastic and has shown that it can run the table if need be. Pribula is ready to launch it at any given moment, and I won’t be surprised if he tries to test South Carolina early on.
For the Gamecocks, I fear that they’re not all the way there. Vanderbilt isn’t the joke of the SEC anymore, but the Gamecocks should’ve won that game, with Sellers or not. Instead, they got stuffed in a locker.
I also worry about South Carolina’s ability to stop the run. It’s managed to hold its own so far, with the exception of the 44-yard touchdown run by Jamezell Lassiter, but both Hardy and Roberts’ presence should be daunting for South Carolina.
I’m rolling with the team from Columbia, Missouri.
I think the Tigers are that much better, even though South Carolina has faced tougher competition.
The blowout loss to Vandy left a sour taste in my mouth, and I think the Gamecocks showed us who they really are.
Pick: Missouri -9.5 (-110, bet365)
