South Carolina at Kentucky Preview and Best Bet – 9/7/2024

The South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the Kentucky Wildcats on September 7, 2024, with the Gamecocks considered 10 point underdogs according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Currently, there is a 50/50 split in spread bets between the two teams. The total for this game is set at 45.0 and has seen 93% of bets favoring the over, with the remaining 7% leaning towards the under. Read on for our preview of South Carolina vs Kentucky in an important early SEC matchup.

Can South Carolina Deliver After Week 1 Scare?

Last week, the South Carolina Gamecocks survived a scare in their season opening game against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Gamecocks won that game by a score of 23-19, with four Old Dominion turnovers bailing the Gamecocks out in that close contest. This week, South Carolina will not be able to afford to rely on turnover luck to win against an SEC opponent as they hit the road for the first time in 2024.

South Carolina was outgained by Old Dominion in their game last week, gaining 288 yards of offense while allowing 305 yards to the Monarchs. Against a Kentucky team with a much better defense than that of Old Dominion, it could be very difficult for South Carolina to move the football on offense. They will need a lot more from quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who completed just 10 of his 23 pass attempts in a game that was not impressive at all from the Gamecocks in Week 1.

Kentucky Defense Sharp Ahead Of SEC Opener

Kentucky faced a cupcake opponent in Week 1, but they made things look easy, shutting out Southern Miss in a 31-0 game in Lexington. The Wildcats held Florida State transfer QB Tate Rodemaker to just 126 passing yards and two interceptions, in what was an impressive season-opening showing for the hosts. Now, Kentucky hosts South Carolina with a chance to move to 2-0 on the season and to notch their first conference win of the young college football season.

The formula for Kentucky to win games is no secret, as their mission is to bend teams to their will with their stellar defense. That worked against Southern Miss, and while South Carolina should be tougher to stop in theory, the lackluster play of the Gamecocks offense in Week 1 should inspire confidence that Kentucky will be able to stack up stops in this contest as well.

South Carolina vs Kentucky Best Bet

Our best bet for South Carolina vs Kentucky is for the Kentucky Wildcats to cover the spread as a home favorite. The defense of Kentucky should be too good for South Carolina to deal with, especially after what we saw from the Gamecocks against Old Dominion. Look for Kentucky to improve to 2-0 and for South Carolina to get a small taste of what they can expect against the rest of the SEC in 2024.

For more on today's game check out the comprehensive statistics, betting odds, and trends below. Be sure to check out all our free NCAAFB picks here.