Old Dominion at South Carolina Prediction For 8/31/2024

The Old Dominion Monarchs will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on August 31, 2024 at 4:15 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Monarchs listed as 20.5 point underdogs. Early betting action shows 75% of spread bets favoring Old Dominion, with South Carolina receiving 25% of the bets. The total of 52.5 has seen 67% of bets on the under and 33% on the over. Can Old Dominion put a scare into the Gamecocks, or will South Carolina roll in their first game post-Spencer Rattler?

Can Old Dominion Find Offense Against South Carolina?

The Old Dominion Monarchs made it to a bowl game last season, losing the Famous Toastery Bowl to Western Kentucky in overtime. That loss capped off a 6-7 season in which the Monarchs were a middle of the pack team in the Sun Belt. This season, the Monarchs will hope for some better results, though they find themselves in a tough spot to open the season on the road against South Carolina of the SEC.

Old Dominion does return its starting quarterback from a season ago, as Grant Wilson is once again set to be the starting signal caller for this team. Wilson had his first real shot to play quarterback in college football last season, when he threw for just under 2,200 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But he will need to improve on those numbers for his team to have success this season and he might have a real tough time against an SEC defense in this contest.

Gamecocks Looking For Offensive Spark In Opener

The South Carolina Gamecocks finished below the .500 mark last season, going 5-7 and falling short of bowl eligibility. They had Spencer Rattler as their quarterback last season, who moved onto the NFL, where the Dallas Cowboys have taken a chance on him as a backup. As a result, we could see multiple quarterbacks try their hand against Old Dominion, with this game potentially having an impact on who gets the bulk of the action at the position moving forward.

It is possible that we see LaNorris Sellers, Robby Ashford, and Davis Beville in this game for the Gamecocks, who will be expected to win big no matter who is on the field at QB in this one. The line play for South Carolina should be superior to that of Old Dominion on both sides of the ball, which should insulate the Gamecocks from any problems even if they struggle at the skill positions.

Old Dominion vs South Carolina Best Bet

We will lay the points with South Carolina in this contest regardless of who we see at the quarterback position for the majority of the time for South Carolina. While the quarterback continuity of Old Dominion should work out in their favor over the long run this season, it is unlikely to help them in a game where they are so overmatched elsewhere like they are in this one.

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