The Georgia Bulldogs will welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks to Athens on Saturday as a huge college football betting favorite. However, as do the Bulldogs deserve to be more than a 30-point favorite... considering they might actually be down to their third quarterback in this game?
With starting quarterback JT Daniels “pushing back” from his injury and backup Stetson Bennett dealing with a strained back, this contest against South Carolina just got a little more interesting.
If Daniels and Bennett are out for this game, could the Gamecocks walk out of Athens with a victory strut (or at least cover the spread)? Find out in our South Carolina vs. Georgia picks and predictions for Saturday, September 18 with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET.
South Carolina vs Georgia odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Georgia opened up as a 30.5-point favorite and that number has since jumped up a point to -31.5 — despite not knowing who the Bulldogs will feature under center on Saturday. The Bulldogs' QB questions, however, caused the total to dip from 48.5 to 46.5 at most outlets. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
South Carolina vs Georgia picks
Picks made on 9/16/2021 at 4:52 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021 college football season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: Risk-free bet up to $5,000 at Caesars. Claim Now
Canada: 100% matched free bet up to $400 at BetVictor. Claim Now
South Carolina vs Georgia game info
• Location: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
• Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
South Carolina vs Georgia betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
South Carolina: Luke Doty QB (Probable), Hank Manos OL (Questionable), Rick Sandidge DL (Questionable).
Georgia: JT Daniels QB (Questionable), Stetson Bennett QB (Questionable), Dominick Blaylock WR (Questionable), Arik Gilbert WR/TE (Doubtful), Kearis Jackson WR (Probable), George Pickens WR (Out), Arian Smith WR (Probable), Tykee Smith DB (Doubtful), Darnell Washington TE (Doubtful).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 4-0 in Georgia's last four games as a home favorite. Find more NCAA betting trends for South Carolina vs. Georgia.
South Carolina vs Georgia predictions
Georgia -31.5 (-110)
Not only do we not know who the quarterback will be for Georgia on Saturday — but we’re also not sure who will get the start under center for South Carolina as well!
The Gamecocks won their first two games of the season, albeit against Eastern Illinois and East Carolina. South Carolina's Week 2 win, 20-17 over the Pirates, required a late-game comeback on the road and continued the solid start from senior quarterback Zeb Noland, who has thrown for 335 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception in two games.
However, the pass protection for South Carolina has not been up to par and that has hurt Noland from ripping off big plays, as his 7.3 yards per pass attempt is just sixth in the SEC and he's 12th in the conference in completing just 56.5 percent of his passes — against inferior opponents.
However, the run blocking has been far better, as the running game has averaged 180 yards per game on the ground, and there is even more reason for offensive optimism in South Carolina — the return of sophomore QB Luke Doty will return from injury.
Doty was the projected starter this year before suffering a foot injury weeks before the season started. He started the final three games for the Gamecocks last season as a true freshman, completing 60.6 percent of his passes with three interceptions and two touchdowns against Mizzouri, Georgia, and Kentucky.
In that game against Georgia, he went 18/22 for 190 yards along with a touchdown and interception. South Carolina ended up losing that game 46-16 at home and Doty is getting thrown into the fire in his return against the No. 2 team in the nation: Georgia boasts arguably the nation's best defense, shutting down Clemson (180 total yards, two rushing yards, three points) in the first week of the season and then tearing apart UAB (174 total yards, 47 passing yards, seven points) in Week 2.
The Gamecocks also have a solid defense, which has looked great in allowing less than 200 yards per game in the air and just 8.5 points per game this season. That said, South Carolina's tackling must improve and the stop unit defense isn’t great against the run game — which is exactly what Georgia plans to do.
Georgia’s quarterback is a mystery, but regardless of who plays, Georgia will be pounding the rock. The Bulldogs have rushed for 142 yards per game and should be able to gain solid yardage against South Carolina’s defensive line.
It’s hard to evaluate the Georgia offense, which had to take on Clemson’s defense in the first week of the season. However, the Bulldogs dominated a UAB team that destroyed Jacksonville State — who upset Florida State last week. There's a reason that Georgia is the No. 2 team in the country and, when healthy, is one of the true contenders for the national championship.
I have a good feeling one of Daniels or Bennett will start for Georgia but If neither play, it will likely be freshman Carson Beck getting the call. I’d be careful betting this game if Beck goes under center, but with one of Bennett or Daniels getting the start... a major beatdown is likely in store.
Under 46.5 (-110)
I’ve come away impressed with South Carolina’s defense so far. The Gamecocks look tremendous in pass coverage and have a solid pass rush that will, at least , make Georgia's offensive line sweat a little bit.
If Georgia is going to find success against the Gamecocks defense, it’ll be running the football — and when you run the football, the clock continues to tick away.
Plus, if Luke Doty gets the start Saturday (as expected), there's a good chance he's a little rusty to start the game. They’ll look to run the ball and get him in rhythm with short passes early — which again means tick tick tick of the clock — and also there's that whole thing of facing the best defense in college football.
We'd be shocked if South Carolina scores much more than a touchdown in this game but we're also intrigued by South Carolina’s defense, which will get some stops too. We're rolling with the Under Saturday night.
Did you know that if you parlayed our South Carolina vs. Georgia picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?
Use our college football parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football odds?
You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NCAA moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of college football prop odds. Head over to our best football betting sites for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.
