South Carolina football: Gamecocks vs. Tennessee Vols odds and prediction
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football: Gamecocks vs. Tennessee Volunteers odds and prediction for college football week 6 matchup.
The South Carolina football team landed an ugly win over Troy this past weekend, taking down the Trojans by a score of 24-13. It was the same story we’ve seen play out over the season’s first five games – great defense, subpar offense.
The Gamecocks managed only 356 yards of total offense, including a meager 101 yards on the ground. Luke Doty threw for 255 yards and a score in what was his best performance on the young season.
With the lack of production on offense, the Gamecock defense needed to hold strong, which they did, allowing Troy to gain just 308 yards as a unit. South Carolina turned the Trojans over four times, returning one for a score (it would’ve been two TDs had it not been for a boneheaded play by Jahmar Brown in the second half).
The Gamecocks were able to eke out a win, but it will take a much better effort to defeat Tennessee next Saturday. The Vols are fresh off of a 62-24 whipping of SEC East rival Missouri and it seems that Josh Heupel has the Tennessee offense clicking on all cylinders.
South Carolina has lost the last two matchups in this series, including a 41-21 defeat their last time in Knoxville. The rivalry is dead even over the last decade, with eight of those contests being decided by six points or less. Tennessee holds the overall series advantage by a record of 27-10-2.
South Carolina football vs. Tennessee Volunteers odds week 6.
The Week 6 betting odds on WynnBET have the Gamecocks listed as 10.5-point underdogs on the road. They have +325 moneyline odds, while Tennessee is the favorite at -425. The total for the game is set at an over/under of 52 points.
South Carolina football vs. Tennessee Volunteers prediction week 6.
Tennessee’s offense is off to a hot start this year, with the Vols having notched 34 points or more in all but one contest. They rank 10th in the nation at 40.8 points per game. They’ll have their work cut out for them against a South Carolina defense that currently ranks 23rd in the country in scoring defense, having allowed just one opponent to reach the 20-point mark.
Where the Gamecocks are going to have to improve is on offense, which will be tough in the unfriendly confines of Neyland Stadium. It’s a place where South Carolina hasn’t played well, posting a 3-11 overall record in Knoxville since joining the SEC. If the Gamecocks put the ball on the turf five times like they did last weekend, you can be assured that they’ll not leave Tennessee with an upset.
While the offense has struggled, the defense has kept games close, resulting in a 4-1 record against the spread for the Gamecocks. The only loss was in a six-point defeat versus Kentucky where South Carolina entered as five-point underdogs.
We think a similar result will come next weekend as the Gamecocks may not land the road win, but they’ll keep the score close enough to cover the spread. We also like the total to stay under the 52-point mark.
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