College Football Week 7 Picks: South Carolina Gamecocks vs. LSU Tigers

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Steve Spurrier will aim for his second-straight win over a top 10 opponent on Saturday night inside Tiger Stadium, as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Gamecocks are three-point road underdogs in the current Week 7 college football betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total is sitting at 40 across the board in the market.

Spurrier watched his squad dominate the Georgia Bulldogs for 60 minutes last week, coming away with a resounding 35-7 victory as one-point home favorites, while going UNDER the posted total of 54.5.

Let's take a closer look at this week's biggest game in the Southeastern Conference from a betting perspective, while offering an against-the-spread pick along the way.

South Carolina Gamecocks

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The South Carolina Gamecocks are playing with a ton of confidence, as they look to extend their school-record winning streak to 11 games this weekend.

Sports bettors need to be cautious in making the Gamecocks one of their top against-the-spread picks against the LSU Tigers, considering they've compiled a dismal 2-16-1 straight-up record in this series.

Steve Spurrier is certainly capable of turning the tide against the Tigers, as he's won 11 of 14 games against them during his coaching career.

LSU Tigers

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The LSU Tigers are definite candidates to bounce back from a disappointing 14-6 loss to the Florida Gators as two-point road favorites last week, as they own the nation's longest home win streak at 21 games.

Les Miles has also excelled in this type of situation during his time in Baton Rouge, as he's gone 17-1 in games following a loss, which includes a perfect 6-0 mark when following up a road setback with a game at Tiger Stadium.

The above statistics are certainly impressive, but it's important to note that Saturday's host is 0-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last four games after failing to run for 100 or more yards in the previous game.

Las Vegas Perspective

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I reached out to Jimmy Vaccaro earlier this week about this high-profile affair. He serves as the public relations director for William Hill US, and here's what he had to say:

I think South Carolina is gonna come in too cocky. Will the real LSU step forward? They looked like a fraud last week and played Towson too close. I think they step up today.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the South Carolina Gamecocks as one of their Week 7 college football predictions, as teams that win the rushing battle are 23-4 ATS in SEC games when the point spread is seven or fewer points.

Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw will need to make a few plays in the passing game, but he has the luxury of handing the ball off to running back Marcus Lattimore, whom I consider to be the best football player in the country.

College Football Week 7 Pick: South Carolina Gamecocks +3

 

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