South Carolina football gets best road point spread against Florida in four years
The Swamp hasn’t been kind to South Carolina football.
But Las Vegas oddsmakers are projecting a closer-than-usual game when USC (6-3, 3-3 SEC) visits Florida (5-4, 2-4 SEC) for an SEC East Division battle on Saturday.
So far, bettors agree.
Despite being 2-16 all time at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and entering this weekend as a consensus eight-point underdog to Florida, South Carolina is picking up 66% of bets and 64% of money to cover that spread as of Wednesday afternoon on VegasInsider.com.
The point spread and the betting trends are, once again, a nod toward the Gamecocks’ upward trajectory under second-year coach Shane Beamer.
USC beat Vanderbilt on the road last weekend to clinch bowl eligibility for the second straight season under Beamer. The Gamecocks, currently tied for third in the SEC East, are also one SEC win away from guaranteeing their first .500 conference record since 2018.
Saturday’s line reflects that. It’s the closest spread for a South Carolina-Florida game in three years (Florida -4 in 2019) and the closest spread for a South Carolina-Florida game in The Swamp in three meetings (Florida -6.5 in 2018).
South Carolina was a 15-point underdog in its last game at Florida in 2020 and a 20.5-point home underdog against Florida in 2021. The Gamecocks memorably blew out Florida last season, with FCS transfer quarterback Jason Brown throwing two touchdowns in a 40-17 win.
That was the third of four straight Power Five losses for Florida late in the 2021 season, a streak that prompted the firing of Dan Mullen and the hiring of former Louisiana coach Billy Napier.
Florida jumped from unranked to No. 12 after beating then-No. 7 Utah in a thrilling Week 1 game and stayed ranked for three more weeks. But the Gators are now unranked, 5-4 and 2-4 in conference, tied for fifth in the SEC East with Missouri behind USC and Kentucky.
Florida has picked up 60% of the bets on the straight-up win-loss money line bets, according to VegasInsider.com. That means while bettors may be counting on South Carolina to stay within eight points of Florida, they’re also trusting the Gators’ recent home dominance against USC.
South Carolina is 2-16 all-time in The Swamp with its last win coming in 2014, a memorable overtime game in which USC blocked a field goal and punt to set up a game-tying touchdown from running back Mike Davis with 12 seconds left.
After Florida settled for a field goal, quarterback Dylan Thompson scored a four-yard rushing touchdown in the first overtime to give then-USC coach Steve Spurrier a final win over his alma mater, 23-20. USC’s only other win at Florida came in 2010.
South Carolina also enters Saturday looking for its third SEC win as an underdog. USC beat Kentucky (-4.5) on the road and Texas A&M (-3) at home earlier this season before beating Vanderbilt 38-27 — and covering as a 6.5-point road favorite — last weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.
Overall this season, South Carolina is 5-4 against the spread and 2-1 against the spread on the road, while Florida is 5-4 against the spread and 2-4 against the spread at home.
Specifically for games played against Florida in The Swamp, South Carolina is 6-6 against the spread in its last 12 games despite a 2-10 record in such meetings since 1998, per Odds Shark.
SEC Week 10 odds
Missouri at No. 5 Tennessee (-20.5)
No. 7 LSU (-3) at Arkansas
Vanderbilt at No. 24 Kentucky (-18)
No. 9 Alabama (-11.5) at No. 11 Ole Miss
South Carolina at Florida (-8)
No. 1 Georgia (-16) at Mississippi State
Texas A&M at Auburn (-2)
