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Arkansas at South Carolina Football Picks & Odds

Written by Steve Janus

Saturday the South Carolina Gamecocks host the Arkansas Razorbacks in SEC action. The Gamecocks look like they are bowl-bound after a dominating performance against Tennessee last week, giving them their 6th win of the season. Arkansas has struggled against SEC opponents all season long earning just a 1-4 conference record, but the Razorbacks earned an impressive victory over then-undefeated Tulsa last week to give their moral a bit of a boost. Oddsmakers see this game as a one-sided affair, placing South Carolina as 12 point favorites against Arkansas and setting the total at 45 points.

Arkansas’ offense hasn’t been as productive as they’d like, averaging just 20 points per game simply won’t get the job done in the SEC. Part of the problem has been QB Casey Dick’s inconsistency and inaccuracy. Dick has thrown 11 interceptions this season and just nine touchdowns, not the kind of ratio a winning team needs out of their starting signal caller. The ‘Backs have rushed for over 120 yards per game this season, but they have been playing from behind in so many of their conference games, it’s been hard to use that running game to their advantage.

Defense, it’s safe to say, has been a major problem for Arkansas this season. They are giving up 11 more points per game than they are scoring, yielding 31 ppg. Even in a winning effort over Tulsa last week, Arkansas gave up well over 500 yards of total offense. If they can hope to keep this week’s game even close, they will need to shore up their defensive effort across the entire unit. It’s also safe to say the oddsmakers are well aware of the Razorbacks’ defensive woes. That’s why the best line available for Arkansas is +12 at BetUs.com.

When the Gamecocks hit the field on offense, it hasn’t been especially intimidating this year. The South Carolina offensive unit is scoring just 23 points per game and is barely gaining 330 yards of total offense against their opponents. There aren’t many bright spots to speak of for the Gamecocks. They’ve had virtually no production from the quarterback position and their running game is a virtual non-factor coming in at just over 100 yards per contest.

One of the best defenses in the country, the majority of South Carolina’s success is because of this defensive unit. They’ve held opponents to under 15 points per game, which is how they can score only 23 points per game and still manage a winning record. This has been a very opportunistic squad as well, forcing 17 turnovers already this season. There’s just no way the Gamecocks would be where they are today without the great play of this defense. Thanks to them, it looks like South Carolina will be headed to a fairly large bowl game this year. It’s also thanks to the defense that South Carolina is a 12 point favorite at home this week.

To say that this game won’t feature much offense would be an understatement. Both teams have struggled heavily on the offensive side of the ball, but South Carolina should find plenty of openings against an Arkansas defense that is a bit of a calamity right now. Arkansas’ offense won’t get the same luxury from the Gamecocks’ defense, who truly are one of the elite units in college football.

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