South Carolina-Kentucky football prediction: Can USC close out on a good note?
This game is a reminder of the odd emotional swings college football can bring.
If South Carolina pulls off a win Saturday, it’s hard to tell what it would mean. It won’t get Will Muschamp his job back. It might get the Gamecocks to a bowl game in a weird year. It’s not going to take one of seven losses off the record.
It would be ending a year with a little pop. Kentucky has been a thorn for the Gamecocks for a while. The struggles against the Wildcats kept three of Muschamp’s seasons from being a little better.
If Luke Doty looks good and Kevin Harris gets to 1,000 yards, it means the Gamecocks have some play-makers for the new coach to work with. If Shi Smith plays, it means a four-year starter gets to finish up on the field instead of the sidelines.
Kentucky is a strong defensive team. As soon at the schedule came out, it was clear this was going to be a slugfest on a chilly Saturday in one of the SEC’s coldest locales.
This one will come down to the running games and the defenses’ success stopping them. If Harris is rumbling and UK’s stable of backs isn’t, the Gamecocks have a good shot. If either passing game can get going even a bit, that could decide things.
Kentucky is playing to get to 4-6, a record that in a pandemic-affected season is probably at or a little above the Wildcats’ standards. UK is playing to be solid, something the Gamecocks have to work their way back toward.
But if they keep coming, USC can perhaps end the year with that emotional pop as they pivot toward the unknown.
The pick: Kentucky 20, South Carolina 10
South Carolina (2-7) at Kentucky (3-6)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kroger Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky
TV: SEC Network
Line: Kentucky by 11 1/2
