Gamecocks vs. Tigers Betting Preview – Expert Analysis

South Carolina Gamecocks (2-4 SU, 3-3 ATS) vs. No. 20 Missouri Tigers (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS)

College Football Week 8

Date/Time: Saturday October 21st, 2023. 3:30PM (EST)

Where: Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field Columbia, MO

TV: SECN

Betting Odds:

Point Spread: USC +7.5 / MO -7.5 (Bet it free with a 100% bonus from our best sportsbooks list!)

Moneyline: SCAR +250 / MIZZU -300

Total: 59.5

The 20th-ranked Missouri Tigers continued their breakout 2023 campaign last Saturday with a 38-21 victory over No. 24 Kentucky. The win moved the Tigers to 6-1 SU on the season, with their only loss coming to LSU just two weeks ago. However, to everyone’s surprise, Missouri legitimately appears to be in the running with Tennessee for the 2nd best team in the SEC East behind Georgia. On Saturday, the Tigers will try to keep their momentum going when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks at Faurot Field as 7.5-point betting favorites!

The visiting Gamecocks are on the heels of a heartbreaking loss to the Florida Gators. The Gamecocks appeared to have control of the game late in the 4th quarter, but the South Carolina defense gave up several 4th down conversions, ultimately allowing QB Graham Mertz to connect with WR Ricky Pearsall for a 21-yard game-winning touchdown with less than 1 minute to go. As a result, the Gamecocks fell to 2-4 SU and received some heavy criticism aimed at the coaching staff for the performance on the defensive side of the football. This week, the Gamecocks hope for a better result but will have another difficult defensive match-up!

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Missouri Tigers Betting Analysis

If you have followed South Carolina this year, then you may know they find ways to move the football. The Gamecocks are led by QB Spencer Rattler, who has developed into a really good quarterback. Rattler has completed 73% passing for 1,754 yards with 11 touchdowns and 4 picks on the season. With that being said, Rattler has limited talent to work with. The running game has been poor in the wake of Marshawn Lloyd’s departure to the transfer portal. RB Mario Anderson is the only running back on the roster with more than 100 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks receiving corps does not exactly have star-studded talent either, with the exception of WR Xavier Legette.

With all the gaps in talent, the Gamecocks have still found ways to produce points on the offensive side of the football. On the defensive side of the football, it has been a completely different story. South Carolina’s secondary has been shredded for 321.7 yards per game through the air, which ranks dead last in the FBS. The problem with the pass defense plays into the strength of this Missouri offense and QB Brady Cook. Cook has produced stellar passing numbers with a 71% completion rate totaling 2,046 yards with 14 touchdowns and just 3 picks through 7 games.

WR Luther Burden III ranks 2nd in the nation with 808 receiving yards, which creates a nightmare mismatch for every South Carolina DB. Meanwhile, RB Cody Shrader has been solid this season with 648 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. In this particular match-up, I can see Missouri’s passing game leading the attack while Shrader delivers the punches between the tackles to keep the chains moving. Needless to say, this is a very favorable match-up for a Missouri team that has been executing well on the offensive side of the football.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Missouri Tigers Betting Trends

• South Carolina is 2-5 SU in the last 7 games.
• South Carolina has hit the “over” in 4 of the last 5 games.
• South Carolina has hit the “over” in 13 of the last 17 games on the road.
• South Carolina is 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games against Missouri.
• Missouri is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games.
• Missouri is 10-5 ATS in the last 15 games against SEC opponents.
• Missouri has hit the “over” in each of the last 5 games.
• Missouri is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games against South Carolina.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Missouri Tigers Betting Prediction

The Gamecocks defense has given up 41 points in each of their last two conference match-ups against Tennessee and Florida. Call me crazy, but I think Missouri has an even better match-up stylistically against the Gamecocks. I think both teams will produce a lot of scoring which deserves consideration for the “over.” However, I think Missouri will be too much for 60 minutes of game time and will get the cover!

Jay’s Pick: Take Missouri -7.5