The South Carolina Gamecocks will have to rebound quickly this week. The Gamecocks are coming off of a disappointing home loss to Kentucky in overtime, thanks to a gutsy two-point conversion call by Wildcat head coach Will Stein.
Unfortunately for head coach Shane Bemer and South Carolina, it's not an easy opponent in the coming week. The Gamecocks are set to go on the road to take on what should be an angry Florida team that's coming off a 45-17 loss to the Missouri Tigers.
The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have released opening lines for the upcoming Week 6 slate of games, including Saturday's matchup between the Gamecocks and Gators.
South Carolina has opened as a 14-point road underdog against Sumrall's Gators, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Odds change periodically and are subject to change.
Saturday's game will mark the first time these two teams have met since 2023, which saw a 41-39 Gator victory. Florida holds a 31-3-10 all-time lead in the series, with the Gators winning the last two straight in 2022 and 2023. Coach Beamer has gone 1-2 against the Gators as South Carolina's head coach, winning 40-17 in Columbia in 2021.
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Both former SEC East rivals enter this game having undergone two very different seasons. The Gators burst into the national conversation with a 52-28 upset at home over then-No. 4 Ole Miss.
The win vaulted the Gators in the Top-10. The Gators came into the matchup averaging 54 points per game, but Missouri's defense limited Florida to a season-low 17 points. The Tigers also forced Florida to finish just 6-of-16 on third down, and Jadan Baugh was held to just 13 yards on 12 carries.
South Carolina, meanwhile, is a program that is expected to move on from Coach Beamer either at the end or during this season. The Gamecocks had blowout wins over Kent State and Towson the first two weeks, but have dropped to 0-3 in SEC play against Mississippi State, Alabama and Kentucky.
With remaining games against Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia and Clemson, it's hard to envision the Gamecocks even finishing above .500 at this rate.
South Carolina being a double-digit underdog sounds about right for his matchup. Although the Gamecocks got out to two-score leads against Mississippi State and Kentucky, both were squandered as South Carolina lost both games. Under Beamer, South Carolina has had double-digit leads seven times across his career. All seven were blown and resulted in South Carolina losses.
We'll see if the number shifts at all throughout the week.
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