South Carolina-Akron prediction: How could this impact USC’s bowl spot?
So, barring something bonkers, South Carolina will exit Saturday with a win and a 7-5 record in Will Muschamp’s third season.
Akron and Terry Bowden might have used a pair of pick-sixes to upset Big Ten West Division champion Northwestern. It might have been right there with Iowa State at the start of the fourth quarter.
But these Zips have gone 2-6 in an uninspiring MAC East, with no wins against a conference foe better and 2-10. The Gamecocks are favored by more than four scores.
The biggest question might be two-fold, the quality of the game and the Jake Bentley side story.
South Carolina is still very much on the edge when it comes to bowl positions. The Gamecocks get to play, when all other SEC teams at their level do not. A comfortable blowout could help the case for a Gator Bowl trip.
But the Zips might be the sort of team that can make the game ugly.
Akron’s defense is not great, but has been solid against not-great competition. The offense has been mostly abysmal, but South Carolina’s defense is down to the bare minimum in the secondary and on the edge.
If the Zips stay close, or get it to being a grind of a game in the rain at Williams-Brice, it might not look the best to bowl reps, perhaps dropping USC to the likes of the Belk Bowl.
The next question is if Jake Bentley can continue his hot streak and do some damage. He’s been on the best run of his career, capped by setting a school record for yards against Clemson.
At the moment, 200 yards will put him in the top-5 for single-season yardage for Gamecocks quarterbacks. More than 300 will put him in third place, with a bowl game still to go. Three touchdowns will put him at second all time for a USC season.
But Akron’s pass defense has been pretty decent, albeit against bad quarterbacks.
South Carolina will take this barring an upset of epic proportions. The only thing to wonder, will it be ugly, or will the Gamecocks send the fans who brave the elements home having watched the backup QBs in a blowout. Bet on the latter.
The pick: South Carolina 38, Akron 10
This story was originally published November 30, 2018 at 8:45 AM.
