Southern Miss Golden Eagles VS South Carolina Gamecocks Pick

I think this is a nice one early in the season. South Carolina hasn’t been in the business of blowing teams out in a long time, and I don’t know why they’d start down that path this Thursday. Southern Miss can put up points quick, and they are battle tested after numerous close contests in 2009.

The Golden Eagles finished the regular season 7-5 before losing 32-42 to Middle Tennessee State in their Bowl Game. In their 6 losses last season, only one was by more than 10 points, and not once did they lose by more than 13. This team has plenty of fight. Southern Miss is better than advertised, if they have been advertised at all. They have some stud athletes that put up points against every team they meet, finishing in the top 20 in points scored last season, nearly 33 per game.

The Gamecocks struggled to put points on the board last season, mostly relying on their powerful defense to win games in one of college’s toughest divisions – the SEC. The Gamecocks have gone through a tumultuous camp, losing some key players to injuries (like their leading tackler) and dealing with suspensions for a few other key players.

It’s not like a team to overlook their week 1 opponent, but South Carolina could get caught looking forward to Georgia on September 11th. Either way, the Golden Eagles play tough-nosed football, and the Gamecocks haven’t shown me that they are a team to thump a solid opponent. I like the dogs again, here!

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (+14) @ South Carolina Gamecocks