NCAAF Matchups: The South Carolina Gamecocks proved to be the eternal nemesis of the Georgia Bulldogs as they pulled off a dramatic 38-35 win last week to take control of the SEC East Division after being written off as finished following a bad opening night loss to Texas AA&M. Vanderbilt has gone back to being Vanderbilt which means being a godawful football program that is outmanned and outclassed most every week as the departure of head coach James Franklin to Penn State last winter ended their brief two year era of glory.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will host the South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday night with coverage on SEC Network starting at 7:30 PM ET. South Carolina opened as a 21 point chalk. Check BetDSI for the latest NCAAF odds.
USC Defense not so Cocky
South Carolina is 2-1 straight up but 1-2 against the spread with a 2-1 mark over the total. South Carolina ranks 120th in the nation for total defense and 110th for points allowed which cannot sustain itself in the long term against SEC teams. Quarterback Dylan Thompson has been solid overall with a 150.2 QB rating and 8-to-3 TD/INT ratio.
Vandy no longer Dandy
Vanderbilt barely escaped with a 34-31 home win over UMass last week to now stand at 1-2 straight up and 0-3 against the spread with a 1-2 mark under the total. Vandy’s offense has been a disaster and ranks 123rd overall in the nation while the defense has not been much better ranking 108th for points allowed.
Matchup and Pick
South Carolina has had sluggish board value lately on the road with just five payouts in their last 11 away games as five out of their last nine away games have gone over the total. Vanderbilt however has paid out in just four out of their last 10 home games as four out of their last six home games have gone under the total. South Carolina has not maintained good betting value in their head-to-head series with Vanderbilt as USC has come away with the money in just four out of their last 12 games with Vandy as six out of the last seven meetings between Carolina and Vanderbilt have gone under the total. The USC defense will leave the backdoor open and Vanderbilt is our call.
