South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Georgia Bulldogs: Odds, Betting Pick

Not too long ago, the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Georgia Bulldogs three times in a row. But Georgia has won three of the last four meetings, going 3-1 against the spread. In one of the last big games in the SEC this season, the Bulldogs battle the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon between the hedges.

College football point spread: The Bulldogs opened as 21.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 42.6-16.6 Bulldogs (college football picks on every game).

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Why the South Carolina Gamecocks can cover the spread

The Gamecocks carry a three-game winning streak into Athens, following their 34-27 victory over Vanderbilt last week. South Carolina spotted the Commodores a 7-0 lead, but sometimes a slap in the face is a good thing for a team. The Gamecocks then scored the next 14 points and led the rest of the way. Near the end, they had the seven-point spread covered at 34-20 but gave up a score with five minutes to go and settled for a push.

On the day, South Carolina outrushed Vandy 212-107, the third straight game it's outrushed its opponent.

At 4-2 in SEC play the Gamecocks' only chance to make the conference championship game is to beat Georgia and Florida—and hope for one game's worth of help.

Why the Georgia Bulldogs can cover the spread

The Bulldogs reached 8-0 on the season with a satisfying 42-7 victory over those Gators at the cocktail party last week in Jacksonville. Georgia scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and later pushed its lead to 42-0 before allowing the Gators a pity score with just under three minutes to go.

On the day, the Bulldogs outgained Florida 393-249, and most of the yardage Georgia's defense gave up came with the game in hand.

The Bulldogs have now outgained each of their last six opponents by at least 120 yards.

At 5-0 in SEC play, Georgia could clinch a spot in the conference championship game with a victory Saturday and a Kentucky loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs are also still chasing even bigger things down the line, and style points could come into play.

Smart pick

The winner of this game isn't in too much doubt; Georgia owns significant advantages in the running game and on defense. But this spread is probably inflated toward the home team by a few too many points, and the Gamecocks should put up a better fight than any of the Bulldogs' previous SEC foes. The smart money here snags the points with South Carolina.

College football betting trends

South Carolina is 1-3 SU and ATS in its last four games against Georgia.

The total has gone over in South Carolina's last four games against Georgia.

South Carolina is 1-7-1 ATS in its last nine games after consecutive wins.

All college football odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.