South Carolina vs Georgia Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Bulldogs Flex Muscles in First SEC Tilt

Both the Georgia Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks get their SEC schedule started with a very one-sided East Division rivalry. The Bulldogs won their clash 48-7 on the road last season. 

The back-to-back defending National Champions will get their first test of 2023 with their new quarterback. Will Carson Beck start his SEC career with a win and cover the big spread in the college football odds?

Here are our free college football picks for South Carolina vs. Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens on Saturday, September 16. 

South Carolina vs Georgia best odds

South Carolina vs Georgia picks and predictions

The South Carolina Gamecocks entered 2023 with some high expectations. They finished 2022 with two massive wins over Top-10 opponents, defeating Tennessee and Clemson, and brought back quarterback Spencer Rattler and their leading receiver for a team that averaged 32.2 points per game. 

However, the Gamecocks did lose four starting offensive lineman and two of their top three tacklers from last season. It showed in Week 1 when they fell to North Carolina by a score of 31-17. They allowed nine sacks in that game and struggled to move the ball in the second half. 

The good news is that South Carolina brought in three solid receiving options through the transfer portal in Trey Knox from Arkansas, Joshua Simon from Western Kentucky, and Eddie Lewis from Memphis. They also have the 21st overall recruit from 2023 according to On3 Recruiting in Nyckoles Harbor. Returning wideout Xavier Legette has been the early go-to guy for Rattler, with 15 catches for 296 yards and a touchdown through two games. 

The Bulldogs are coming off an undefeated season and a second straight national title. However, they did have to replace their starting quarterback, two leading rushers, and several key defenders. This will be the first big test for Beck as the new leader after dominating Tennessee Martin and Ball State to start his career. 

He has also been without a major target in Ladd McConkey, who had 51 catches for 675 yards last season. McConkey has been out with a back injury and may not be quite ready to return. The good news is that Mekhi Mews has stepped up in his absence with six catches for 102 yards and a TD to go along with his punt return for a score last week. 

Another key player for the Bulldogs that may be absent is safety Javon Bullard. He injured his ankle last week and the Defensive MVP of last year’s title game would be a major miss for the Georgia defense. The Gamecocks have only one turnover this season and it came last week while the backups were in during their 47-21 win over Furman. 

However, even without Bullard, South Carolina is going to struggle against the Georgia front seven. If it allowed the Tar Heels into its backfield that much, imagine what the Bulldogs would do. Rattler will need to get the ball out of his hands quickly or it will be another long game for him. 

Even if SC comes out hot and gets its offense going with quick plays out in space to their playmakers, the offensive line will break down over time. With no real run game present, the Gamecocks will struggle to keep up with the Georgia offense throughout the game. I like the Bulldogs to pull away in the second half and turn the game into a blowout if it's even close to begin with. 

My best bet: Georgia -27.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

South Carolina vs Georgia same-game parlay

Georgia -27.5 (-110)

Georgia TT Over 40.5 (-128)

Roderick Robinson anytime TD (-140)

+232 at FanDuel

Since this is an SEC game, we have some solid options to go along with our best bet for a same-game parlay on FanDuel. 

South Carolina allowed 31 points to UNC and 21 points to Furman. Georgia scored 48 against UT-Martin and 45 against Ball State. They also scored 48 against the Gamecocks last season. I like the team total Over 40.5 points. 

Finally, we can add an anytime TD to complete the parlay. Kendall Milton is the starting running back, but Roderick Robinson II has split the work. Robinson has scored two touchdowns to Milton’s one through the first two games and has the better odds to boot. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

South Carolina vs Georgia spread and Over/Under analysis

The Gamecocks were outscored 21-3 over the final 32:50 of game time against UNC. They also were outscored 14-7 in the opening 21:34 of game time against Furman. They have shown they can go on bad runs and a bad run against the Bulldogs will be a death sentence. Georgia will pounce on any opportunity to put the game away and will do so by the start of the fourth quarter.

The total will be completely dependent on whether the Gamecocks can score a couple of touchdowns. I'd be looking at Georgia to finish around 45 total points, meaning South Carolina will need to score at least 10 for the Over to cash.

Even though the Gamecocks only scored seven points at home last year in this matchup. I do believe they'll be able to score a couple of times with at least one touchdown. The Over is the right play on the total.

South Carolina vs Georgia betting trend to know

Georgia has won the past three matchups in this series by an average of 32.3 points. Find more college football betting trends for South Carolina vs Georgia.

South Carolina vs Georgia game info

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