Can Vanderbilt keep rolling, or will South Carolina officially become bowl-eligible? We'll answer that question and more in our betting guide for November 9th. Good luck, sports betting family!
The South Carolina Gamecocks opened up as 4-point favorites over the Vanderbilt Commodores last Sunday afternoon when sportsbooks started posting the Week 11 college football lines. Some sharp action has come in on Vandy to knock the line down to South Carolina -3.5.
The total on this game indicates that there may not be much scoring. The number opened at 46 and most online sports betting apps have it currently at 46.5. Both offenses rank outside the Top 80 in yards per play, so the lower total makes a lot of sense.
The Gamecocks finally put it all together last weekend against Texas A&M. They dominated the second half against the Aggies on their way to a 44-20 triumph over the then. No. 10 ranked team in the land. South Carolina needed that big win after narrow losses to Alabama and LSU earlier in the season.
South Carolina only passes the ball 40.2% of the time, but LaNorris Sellers has looked more and more comfortable in the pocket as the season has gone along. He's thrown for 1,212 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2024. Rocket Sanders leads the Gamecocks with 570 yards rushing and 8 TDs on the ground.
The key to the Gamecocks' success this year has been their incredibly stingy defense. South Carolina ranks 4th in yards per play allowed and 8th in yards per rush allowed. Kyle Kennard (8.5 sacks) is a big reason why this squad ranks 4th in the nation in sack rate.
The Commodores have been on a major roll ever since losing in double OT to Missouri back on September 21st. They've gone on to win 4 out of their last 5. Three of those victories were against SEC teams (Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn).
Vandy head coach Clark Lea really hit a home run by bringing Diego Pavia in from New Mexico State. Pavia has single-handedly changed the attitude of this team and he's one of the toughest QBs in college football history as an underdog. He's thrown for 15 touchdowns and run for 4 more this season.
The 'Dores have some holes on the defensive side of the ball, so that's a bit of a concern for them in this game. Vandy ranks just 92nd in yards per pass allowed and 93rd in third-down defense. Their best tackler is Bryan Longwell, who leads the team with 60 stops this season.
A few online shops are allowing you to buy this number down to the key of -3 for a cheap price at the time of this writing. While I'm never a huge fan of buying points, I don't mind doing so with a game total this low.
My numbers actually make South Carolina a 7-point favorite, so I'm going to roll with the Gamecocks in this one. Sure, I'm not crazy about backing a team on the road after a big emotional win. That said, South Carolina needs this win to be bowl eligible. Shane Beamer won't let them have a let-down. Let's lay the small number!
Prediction: South Carolina 27 - Vanderbilt 20