The SEC winds down Week 12 with a classic battle when the 6-4 South Carolina Gamecocks welcome the No. 5-ranked Tennessee Volunteers.
Tennessee is 9-1 after burying Missouri 66-27, while South Carolina suffered a 38-6 away loss to Florida.
Who will win this SEC battle? Find out in our free best college football picks and predictions for this Week 12 Wednesday showdown between the Tennesee Volunteers vs. South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, November 19.
Tennessee vs South Carolina best odds
Tennessee vs South Carolina picks and predictions
A possible trip to the FBS playoffs hangs in the balance, and Tennessee will want to come out firing Saturday evening. My best bet is for Tennessee -12.5 in the first half.
Volunteers QB Hendon Hooker is +400 on the Heisman Trophy odds list and is a dual-threat with 2,888 passing yards and 24 scoring strikes alongside 405 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground. Junior wideout Jalin Hyatt has reeled in 15 TD receptions with a 2nd-best 1116 receiving yards, and sophomore RB Jaylen Wright has three rushing TDs over his last three contests.
The Gamecocks defense has been better against the pass than the run — South Carolina allows an average of 194 passing yards, but 197 rushing yards allowed is too many — and they’ll have difficulties stopping the two-headed monster Hooker, aka the Tennesee offense. Hooker and Wright could eat against the soft Gamecocks' soft rushing defense, which should open up the Tennessee passing game, and that’s when the magic happens.
South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler has thrown more interceptions than TDs in his first year at the helm. The Oklahoma transfer has been sacked 23 times and held without a TD pass in three of his past five games. Wideout Antwane Wells Jr. is his big-play threat, and Jalen Brooks has over 400 receiving yards. Sophomore RB Marshawn Lloyd was injured last week, and his replacements rushed for 11 yards.
The Volunteers defense is pretty stout. They get to QBs and do a solid job against the rush. The rushing defense is 13th in the nation, and the passing defense ranks 119th. Tennessee has a good pass rush, and Rattler will be running for his life, and that rush could produce a turnover or two.
Tennessee is a fast-starting team, leading the nation in first-half scoring. The Volunteers' offensive line has been exceptional, and the Tennessee offense should feast both on the ground and through the air against South Carolina.
The Gamecocks offense stalled without Lloyd — three fumbles by his replacements haven't helped — and South Carolina failed to move the ball against a Florida defense it should have had better success against. Rattler will have to rely on his arm to win this game, and without much of a rushing attack, the Volunteers will come after him hard.
Tennessee wins games by throttling teams in the first half, and I see this trend continuing Saturday.
My best bet: Tennessee -12.5 in first half (-110 at FanDuel)
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Tennessee vs South Carolina spread analysis
Saturday is a big game for Tennessee, but it's also senior night for the Gamecocks, and the upperclassmen won’t want to get blown out in their final home game. Three TDs and the hook might be too much, but I’m leaning toward Tennessee to cover the spread.
An SEC title might be out of the Volunteers' grasp, but finishing the season with an 11-1 record keeps Tennessee in the FBS playoff hunt. It'll want to impress the committee, but its national title hopes are over with a loss.
Tennessee is 8-2 against the spread this season but just 2-1 ATS as the away side. The Volunteers failed to cover a +9.5 away underdogs to Georgia but have comfortably covered the spread when favored on the road.
South Carolina was a different team without Lloyd in the lineup. Sophomore RB Juju McDowell is the Gamecocks' second-leading rusher, but he was limited to 11 yards on two carries against Florida. If South Carolina hopes to win this game, it must get more from its sophomore RB. That won’t be easy against the 13th-best rushing defense in the country.
The Gamecocks are 5-5 ATS and 3-3 ATS at Williams-Brice Stadium. They failed to cover a +25 point spread against Georgia and as -3.5 point favorites against Missouri. South Carolina is 1-2 ATS against nationally-ranked opponents this season.
Tennessee vs South Carolina Over/Under analysis
Sixty-six points is a significant number, but I’m leaning Under that number.
South Carolina has the offense to hang with the Volunteers, but I need to know the status of Brooks. Rattler is too inconsistent for me to believe South Carolina will light up the scoreboard without his leading ground gainer, and I’m waiting for clarity on the status.
Tennessee needs a big result for any shot at the playoffs, and Hooker is chasing a Heisman. The Volunteers have a considerable edge in the turnover department at +11 compared to South Carolina at -7.
Tennessee leads the nation in scoring, and the Over is 6-4 over its last 10.
South Carolina is 67th in scoring, and the Over is 5-5 over its last 10 games.
Tennessee vs South Carolina betting trend to know
The Volunteers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Tennessee vs. South Carolina.
Tennessee vs South Carolina game info
| Location: | Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC |
| Date: | Saturday, November 19, 2022 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
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