SEC Championship Preview and Pick: South Carolina Upsets Auburn in SEC Shocker

This Saturday, the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers will take on the No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC Championship Game.

The latest college football sports betting odds posted by BetMania has the Tigers listed as six-point favorites.

This game is the only thing that stands in the way of the Auburn Tigers going to the BCS National Championship game. Quarterback Cam Newton is a shoe-in for the Heisman trophy and has ignored the controversy all year long to lead the Tigers to a shot at an undefeated season.

The South Carolina Gamecocks were beaten once this year already by the Tigers. So it’s time to make plans to play in Arizona if you’re the Tigers, right?

Not quite.

The Gamecocks will compete with the Tigers. They have a very good chance of upsetting the No. 1 team in the country.

Tiger fans will point to the first meeting as evidence that the Tigers are a better team. But when you look inside the numbers, it actually proves the Gamecocks can play with the Tigers.

The Gamecocks jumped out to a lead at the half, but let Auburn come from behind. This was fueled by turnovers by Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia, who was benched because of this.

Garcia will not be benched in this game. He will get the ball to standout wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who had a monster game against Auburn in the first meeting.  

The sophomore had his best game of the season, catching eight passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tigers are allowing 255.2 passing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have been able to toss 21 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions.

This will mean a great day for Garcia and the Gamecocks, who are playing their best football of the season.

Cam Newton is the best player in the country and Auburn is one of the best teams in the country. Although they have yet to lose, they have some weaknesses.

History would dictate that the top-ranked teams are vulnerable to the upset loss in the last week of the season.

The Gamecocks are 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games as an underdog, 4-1 ATS when playing a team with a winning record and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0.

The Gamecocks play a tight game throughout and are a best bet getting six points. This game will come down to the last minutes.

Don’t be surprised if Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks pull off the upset.

Gamecocks +6

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at [e-mail].