South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators College Football Betting Preview

College football schedules are different in 2020, and this weekend marks the earliest on the calendar that the No. 3 Florida Gators (1-0) and South Carolina Gamecocks (0-1) have ever met. The SEC East rivals have played in November in 26 of the last 28 seasons.

This Saturday’s game kicks off at noon ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., and will be televised on ESPN.

These teams have met 40 times over the years, with Florida leading the series 28-9-3. Last year the Gators won in South Carolina 38-27, and they have taken four of the last five.

South Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in 2014, and after the game, current Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp was fired by Florida. Muschamp is 2-6 in this series, 1-3 with each school.

South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Outlook: Help Hill

The offense struggled to run the ball against Tennessee in a 31-27 home loss Saturday. The Gamecocks tallied 89 rushing yards, 64th in the nation, and 290 passing yards, which rank 19th in the country. The defense allowed 261 passing yards, 133 rushing yards and 394 total yards, all ranking in the middle of the pack.

Colorado State transfer Colin Hill got the start at quarterback and threw for 290 yards on 25-of-39 passing. The senior had one touchdown passing, one rushing and threw one interception.

Running back Kevin Harris led the ground game with 55 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown. Zaquandre White had 19 yards on seven carries, while Deshaun Fenwick had six carries for 31 yards.

Shi Smith was the top target for Hill as he caught 10 balls for 140 yards and one score. Xavier Legette had four catches for 61 yards, while Nick Muse had four catches for 50 yards. Out of the backfield, Fenwick had four catches for 45 yards, and Harris had one for nine yards.

The Gamecocks’ defense did not force a turnover against Tennessee. Kingsley Enagbare had both South Carolina sacks while kicker Parker White nailed both of his field-goal attempts.

Florida Gators Betting Outlook: Feed the Kyles

Dan Mullen and the Gators got off to a dream start on offense but really struggled defensively in a 51-35 win at Ole Miss Saturday. Their 642 total yards and 446 passing yards both rank second in the nation. while the 51 points are third and the 196 rushing yards are 24th. The defense allowed 443 passing yards, the third-most in the country, and the 613 total yards were the third-most ever allowed by a Florida squad.

Quarterback Kyle Trask entered the Heisman conversation with six touchdown passes and 416 passing yards. He was 30-for-42 and found 11 different receivers. His most frequent target was standout tight end Kyle Pitts, who caught eight passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns.

Trask also threw touchdowns to Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes. Toney caught five passes for 59 yards and ran twice for 55 yards. Grimes had three catches for 64 yards, and wide receiver Jacob Copeland also had three catches for 29 yards.

The backfield is mostly new for the Gators, and Toney led the way with 55 yards. Dameon Price had a team-high nine carries for 65 yards while Malik Davis ran seven times for 49 yards.

The defense was missing two starters in the secondary, one at linebacker and two contributors on the line. Ole Miss took advantage with big plays, but the Gators did record four sacks, 11 tackles for loss and a Gervon Dexter interception.

South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators College Football Betting Lines

● South Carolina spread: +18.5 (-110); South Carolina moneyline: +650
● Florida spread: -18.5 (-110); Florida moneyline: -1000
● Total points: 59.0 (over -110, under -110)

Neither defense showed the ability to stop drives without points in the opener. Florida is definitely not going to hold back against its former coach, and the onus will be on the Gators defense to step up and improve if this team is a legit contender. South Carolina will need to run the ball better to use the clock and stay in the game.

Head to our favorite pay per head bookie site at payperhead247.com

Free Pick: Over 59 points (-110)