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South Carolina v. Ole Miss Football Lines & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

sc ole miss 92109 The fourth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels head to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks in an SEC showdown this Thursday on ESPN. Ole Miss enters at 2-0, off back-to-back blowouts in conference play, but football odds makers expect the Rebels to finally be tested this week. The Gamecocks enter at 2-1, bouncing back from a narrow defeat at Georgia with a lopsided win over Florida Atlantic. The Ole Miss Rebels are listed as a 3-point favorite.

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This week we will get a better idea if Ole Miss is indeed a legit national championship contender, as its ranking would have us believe. In fact, Ole Miss’ No. 4 ranking is the highest for the program since 1970. The team also brings in an eight-game winning streak. Dating back to last season, the Rebels have scored 45 or more points in four straight games, which is a first in the history of the program. If you go back the last six games, the Rebels are winning those contests by an average score of 46.5 to 11.2 so it is easy to see why their buzz continues to grow.

QB Jevan Snead has been recognized as the program’s best QB since Eli Manning and this season he will be looking to take down some more of Manning’s school marks. Snead has now thrown two or more touchdown strikes in eight straight games, which is an Ole Miss record, but he’s still chasing Manning’s 16 consecutive games with a touchdown pass record. Snead has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 11 straight games. While Snead catches most of the offensive limelight, he is certainly not the only offensive weapon. I have been impressed by the balance that the Rebels have been trying to achieve. Of their 500 yards last week, 258 of those came on the ground. Running back Brandon Bolden had a 105-yard game in the effort. While the offense has posted big numbers in two wins thus far this season, it is worth noting it got off to relatively slow starts against inferior opponents in each of those games. They may not be able to afford another slow start against a South Carolina team with similar athletes.

On the positive, you have to like Ole Miss’ big play defense which has come up with two or more interceptions in seven straight games. In fact, the Rebels have come up with a pick six in both games thus far this season. It is also worth considering that the Rebels are 8-1 against the spread in their last nine road games and the road team is a perfect 5-0 against the spread in the last five head-to-head meetings in this series. If you like the Rebels to get the road win and the cover this week, bet Ole Miss at -3 at BetUS.

We know what the South Carolina defense is capable of so this one likely comes down to how well QB Stephen Garcia and the offense can play. Garcia struggled with consistency last season, but he seems to be putting it all together in 2009. He is coming off consecutive good games, completing 20 of 27 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions last week. Another positive heading into this one is the ground game, which accounted for 287 of the teams 516 yards against FAU.

Basically, the Gamecocks are going to have to score to beat the Rebels with as hot as the Ole Miss offense has been running. That means the team will need big efforts from wide receiver Tori Gurley and running back Jarvis Giles. The 6-5 Gurley had 100 yards receiving on four grabs last week, picking up where Kenny McKinley left off. Giles is a burner and finished with 113 yards last week. Defensively, the Gamecocks are going to need a big game from linebacker Eric Norwood if they hope to pull off the small upset. Norwood’s 26 career sacks are tied for the school record and they are going to need him to be breathing down Snead’s neck all game long in this one. It is also worth noting that the Rebels are 1-11-2 against the spread in their last 14 games as a favorite of 3.0 points or less and just 2-8 against the number in their last 10 games as a road favorite. If you like the Gamecocks to shock the fourth-ranked Rebels, bet South Carolina at +3 at BetUS.

Make sure you check out Jimmy Boyd’s college football picks package this Thursday to see who he’s siding with in the big game.

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