Jacksonville State vs South Carolina Odds & Picks: How to Bet Battle of Gamecocks

Jacksonville State vs South Carolina Odds & Picks: How to Bet Battle of Gamecocks article feature image
Credit:

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images. Pictured: South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Jacksonville State vs South Carolina Odds

Jacksonville State Logo
No. 4
Noon ET
ESPNU
South Carolina Logo
Jacksonville State Odds
Point SpreadOver/UnderML
+15.5
-110
55.5
-110o / -110u
+500
South Carolina Odds
Point SpreadOver/UnderML
-15.5
-110
55.5
-110o / -110u
-700
Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAF odds here.
BetMGM Logo

The battle of the Gamecocks takes place Saturday as South Carolina hosts Jacksonville State.

The Southeastern Conference program has dropped four straight to fall to 2-6, while Jacksonville State is 7-2 (5-1 in Conference USA).

This should be an exciting contest with a lot of points, so let's make some picks for Jacksonville State vs. South Carolina.


Check out our NCAAF Betting Hub for more college football previews, predictions, news and analysis.

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Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Jacksonville State finds itself in a similar position to James Madison as both are ineligible to participate in a bowl or conference title game.

There is a chance Jacksonville State could receive a bowl bid if not enough teams finish with a winning record, but it is a shame it can’t contend for the CUSA championship.

Head coach Rich Rodriguez has his team playing well. In fact, Jacksonville State has run for at least 100 yards in all 20 games under Rodriguez.

Additionally, JSU's offense is averaging 217.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in CUSA and eighth in the nation.

However, the main story has been the defense, which ranks in the top 20 in rush success (second), line yards (sixth) and quality drives (12th). This is the same unit that has 18 takeaways on the season, which is tied for third-most among all FBS teams.


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South Carolina Gamecocks

After back-to-back winning bowl trips in his first two seasons, coach Shane Beamer is going to need a late run to keep that streak alive.

It also hasn’t helped that four of the six losses have come to teams ranked in the Top 25 and five have been on the road.

The dynamic duo of Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette have powered the offense. Rattler is ranked 35th in the country in passing yards per game and 15th in completion percentage.

Legette has been his primary target and ranks in the top 25 in the FBS in both receiving yards per game and yards per reception. I think he’ll like playing against a Non-Power 5 defense.

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Jacksonville State vs South Carolina

Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Jacksonville State and South Carolina match up statistically:

Jacksonville State Offense vs. South Carolina Defense
Offense
Defense
Edge
Rush Success5287
Line Yards11151
Pass Success106128
Havoc48121
Finishing Drives9155
Quality Drives113124
South Carolina Offense vs. Jacksonville State Defense
Offense
Defense
Edge
Rush Success1182
Line Yards1166
Pass Success7271
Havoc11830
Finishing Drives6461
Quality Drives9712
Pace of Play / Other
PFF Tackling7933
PFF Coverage59123
Special Teams SP+8024
Middle 856104
Seconds per Play21.2 (1)25.6 (48)
Rush Rate64.1% (8)47.4% (122)

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Jacksonville State vs South Carolina

Betting Pick & Prediction

When I look at these teams, it is very tempting to take the underdog against a struggling SEC squad. However, I think South Carolina will be motivated to get back on track for a bowl berth.

So, my attention is set on the total, which I believe will fly past the over/under of 54.5. I like it up to 56, but you want to catch this before the key number of 55.

Yes, Jacksonville State’s defensive metrics are impressive, but it has played a soft schedule.

When Jacksonville State has played competent offenses like Coastal Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Liberty, they've given up at least 30 points. And I’m not sure any of those programs are as explosive as South Carolina.

I don't have much good to say about South Carolina’s defense. In all three contests at Williams-Brice Stadium, this total would have been cleared. In fact, South Carolina's home games are averaging a total of 71.7 points per game.

Once you add in the fact that JSU has the second-fastest tempo in the country, I love the potential for points in this matchup.

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