Missouri Tigers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks: prediction, bet line, odds, kickoff, TV
South Carolina was headed nowhere after three weeks. The Gamecocks had fallen at then-ranked Arkansas before being battered at home by top-ranked Georgia.
But the schedule turned soft just in time, giving the Gamecocks an opportunity to build confidence against a pair non-conference opponents. They took full advantage of the reboot, and they now carry a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s home game against Missouri.
By winning at Kentucky and then defeating Texas A&M in the past two games, South Carolina has moved into the AP poll for the first time since 2018 at No. 25.
Missouri also looks to flip the script on its season. The Tigers are coming off their first SEC victory of the year (against Vanderbilt). Their 17-14 win wasn’t easy — Mizzou turned a comfortable 17-0 halftime margin into a nail-biter — but for the first time in league play this fall, they came out on the winning side of a one-score outcome.
To create a winning streak, Missouri will look to get more from an offense that’s ranked 12th in the SEC averaging 364.6 yards per game. One change announced by MU coach Eli Drinkwitz this week: Cody Schrader has taken the lead at running back over Nathaniel Peat, who has had fumble problems this season.
“Cody’s consistency and production, consistency in ball security,” is how Drinkwitz described Schrader’s advantage.
Mizzou has been turnover-prone. Nine of the Tigers’ 16 giveaways have come in SEC competition, and they stand at minus-five for the season.
But the Tigers have been making up for their flaws on offense with superb defensive play, and now they’ll look to come up big against a South Carolina team led by Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler at quarterback.
The Tigers’ defense has kept them in every SEC game, and that should continue to be the case Saturday. Call the offenses even, and give South Carolina a big edge in special teams.
Look for Missouri to play another one-score game.
Prediction: Missouri 20-17
Line: South Carolina by 3 1/2 (opened South Carolina by 5 1/2)
Last game prediction: Missouri 33, Vanderbilt 20
2022 record on picks: 6-1
2022 record against the spread: 5-1
The details
Kickoff: 3 pm (Central)
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 11:44 AM.