The South Carolina Gamecocks (7-4) meet the No. 8 Clemson Tigers (10-1) Saturday in a non-conference tilt at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (ABC). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the South Carolina vs. Clemson odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
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The Gamecocks pulled off the giant upset over then-No. 5 Tennessee last weekend, winning 63-38 as a 23.5-point underdog. South Carolina would love to spoil the CFP hopes of another rival this weekend, but it is a much taller order on the road.
Clemson leads the all-time series 72-42-4, including victories in each of the past 7 meetings. In fact, while this is an intense rivalry, lately, it hasn’t even been close. The Tigers won 30-0 in Columbia last season, and it has taken each of the past 5 in the series by at least 21 points.
The Tigers are ranked No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and need a miracle to work their way into the top 4. It helped that South Carolina won last week against Tennessee, a team Clemson was competing with for a spot in the CFP, but it hurts that North Carolina lost to NC State Friday. A win by Clemson over UNC in the ACC Championship Game won’t look nearly as impressive now.
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South Carolina at Clemson odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): South Carolina +440 (bet $100 to win $440) | Clemson -600 (bet $600 to win $100)
- Against the spread: South Carolina +14.5 (-112) | Clemson -14.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 52.5 (O: -111 | U: -109)
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South Carolina at Clemson picks and predictions
Prediction
Clemson 33, South Carolina 24
Moneyline
Clemson (-600) will cost 6 times the potential return, and that’s way too expensive in a rivalry game. Yes, the Tigers have had their way with the Gamecocks in recent years, but South Carolina is flying high and brimming with confidence after a giant win against Tennessee last weekend.
AVOID.
Against the spread
SOUTH CAROLINA +14.5 (-112) is a good play as long as this line stays at or above two touchdowns.
In previous years, Clemson -14.5 would seem like a gift as it has dusted South Carolina by an average of 31.8 points per game in the past 5 meetings. But USC has a lot of momentum after paddling Tennessee at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia last weekend.
The Gamecocks might not be able to get all the way over the hump to topple the Tigers, but they should be able to keep it within 2 TDs.
Over/Under
Play OVER 52.5 (-111), but don’t expect it to be easy.
Sure, South Carolina dropped 63 on Tennessee last weekend, but that’s an anomaly. The USC offense has been rather middling this season, posting 377.9 total yards per game to rank 78th in the nation, while running for just 129.5 yards per outing to check in 96th. The offense has scored 31.7 PPG to rank 42nd overall.
Clemson is also good, but not great, on offense, going for 34.7 PPG, while allowing just 20.0 PPG. The Tigers won’t get run over like the Vols last weekend, but we should still see a healthy score into the mid-50’s here. Just go lightly.
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