The South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) and East Carolina Pirates (0-1) face off Saturday at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., with a noon ET kickoff. Below, we look at the South Carolina at East Carolina odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Head coach Shane Beamer’s debut went swimmingly last week, as the Gamecocks routed Eastern Illinois 46-0. Sure, that was an FCS opponent, but South Carolina did what it was supposed to behind a defense that allowed just 109 total yards. Graduate assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland threw 4 TD as he filled in for injured starter Luke Doty in one of the better stories from Week 1.
Things will get tougher on the road for the Gamecocks this week, although East Carolina was unimpressive in a 33-19 loss to Appalachian State last Saturday. ECU’s defense gave up nearly 500 yards and it couldn’t get the running game going with just 86 yards on 24 carries.
South Carolina at East Carolina odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9:35 a.m. ET.
- Money line: South Carolina -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | East Carolina +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
- Against the spread (ATS): South Carolina -1.5 (-112) | East Carolina +1.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 56.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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South Carolina at East Carolina odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
South Carolina 31, East Carolina 24
Money line
It’s a tight spread and we like South Carolina by quite a bit, so PASS on the money line and get better returns against the spread.
Against the spread
This line could fluctuate wildly depending on the health of South Carolina starting QB Luke Doty, who missed the opener but could return for this one. The tea leaves suggest he’ll be ready to go, which would only bolster South Carolina’s raw talent and depth advantage over an ECU team that’s 2-3 ATS in its last handful of games.
Bet SOUTH CAROLINA -1.5 (-112).
Over/Under
Both of these teams hit the Under in Week 1, but this line looks just about right given ECU’s struggles on defense and Doty’s potential return for South Carolina.
We’ll lean UNDER 56.5 (-112), but without as much conviction as our ATS call.
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