The South Carolina Gamecocks get an opportunity to show how close they are to competing for an SEC East title by hosting the defending champions in Week 2. USC takes on the Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, on CBS. The road Bulldogs are Vegas favorites by 10 points, while the Over-Under for total points scored is 54.5 in the latest South Carolina vs. Georgia odds. Each team hammered overmatched competition in Week 1, but now the stakes are raised. Before you make any Georgia vs. South Carolina picks, listen to what SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has to say.
Oh, co-founder of AccuScore, specializes in sports simulations, projections, and advanced statistical analysis. He is a consistent winner for SportsLine in every sport and now he has turned his attention to college football.
More importantly, Oh has had a keen eye for the tendencies of the Gamecocks -- he's 7-0 picking their games the past two years. Now, he has analyzed Saturday's SEC showdown and released a confident point-spread selection, which he is only sharing over at SportsLine.
Oh knows third-ranked Georgia made short work of Austin Peay in its season opener, cruising 45-0 and out-gaining the Governors 508-152 yards.
Jake Fromm, who last year took over early in the season as a freshman and guided the Bulldogs to a national championship game berth, went 12-of-16 for 157 yards and two TDs.
The Bulldogs lost RBs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who combined for nearly 3,000 yards and 31 TDs last year. But they have back sophomore D'Andre Swift, a projected Heisman contender, and should get more production from Elijah Holyfield as well. The defense is loaded with prospects but only five returners and just two of the top-five tacklers from a year ago.
This Saturday will be considerably tougher. The Bulldogs pulled away for a 24-10 victory last season in Athens. They've beaten the Gamecocks by 14 each of the last two seasons.
But just because Georgia has had success in this series doesn't mean the Bulldogs will be able to cover this spread against an improving South Carolina team.
South Carolina blew past Coastal Carolina in Week 1, outgaining the Chanticleers 557-238 in a 49-15 victory. QB Jake Bentley, who last year tossed for 2,794 yards and 18 TDs last season, finished 22-of-29 for 240 yards and four TDs.
RBs Rico Dowdle and Ty'Son Williams, who are expected to lead an absolutely loaded backfield, combined for 187 yards on 26 carries and two TDs.
It's hard to gauge South Carolina's defense after this one, but the unit does return six starters after allowing just 20.7 ppg, down nearly six points from 2017 and 10 points since 2014. The Gamecocks will be led by a LB corps that essentially returns three starters, not counting Auburn transfer Stephen Davis.
We can tell you Oh is leaning toward the Under, but his analytics have unearthed a critical x-factor that will determine which side of the spread hits hard, and he's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
So who covers Georgia-South Carolina? And what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over Saturday, all from a data scientist who is a perfect 7-0 picking Gamecocks games.