South Carolina-Florida football prediction: The toughest game of the season
This one, it’s what we’re going to call a long shot for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are headed to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators, a team that looked like hell on wheels offensively in the opener. The USC offense had moments, but the defense had fewer of them. The last time coach Will Muschamp’s team went down there, it lost a 17-point lead in a game that could’ve changed the sentiment about the coach’s tenure to a degree.
In short, it could be a tough Saturday.
The betting line opened at UF favored by 22 points, though it fell 4-4 1/2 points during the week. By multiple projection systems, it ranks as the hardest game on South Carolina’s schedule.
The road to an upset is a narrow one.
The Gamecocks would need the offense to play like it did at its best last Saturday, but against a better defense. USC would also need to hold up much better in pass protection against a group that got to Ole Miss QBs even in a game where it gave up 35 points.
On the other side, the Gamecocks not only need Israel Mukuamu and Jahmar Brown ready to go, but they need everyone in the secondary to play well, plus the line playing up to its perceived talent level.
And even that might not be enough with tight end Kyle Pitts, who no one can match up with, and a host of other talented pass catchers.
All told, this might be one of those games where a team looks for the good it can take if it plays well and move on to the next.
The pick: Florida 38, South Carolina 13
