Top-ranked Georgia could be in line for its first test of the new college football season Saturday as the Bulldogs host a dangerous South Carolina side in SEC action, but UGA is nearly a four-touchdown favorite.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Georgia Bulldogs Game Information

#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/6oa9LuJGjY

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 9, 2023

• When: Saturday, September 16, 2023, 3:30 PM ET
• Where: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
• TV: CBS
• Radio: WNKT 107.5 FM (South Carolina) // 95.5 WSB FM (Georgia)
• Live Stream: CBS Sports Live
• College Football Odds: South Carolina (+27.5) // Georgia (-27.5)

Why Bet on the South Carolina Gamecocks?

South Carolina lost its season opener to No. 21 North Carolina but bounced back this past Saturday with a 47-21 win over FCS school Furman. Cocks QB Spencer Ratter completed 25 of 27 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another TD against Furman. He’s averaging 348 yards passing in his past five games after throwing for just 198 yards a game in his first 10 outings for the Gamecocks. Perhaps most important, Ratter was not sacked Saturday a week after North Carolina sacked him nine times.

Rattler leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation with 349.0 passing yards per game, trailing only Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Rattler also leads the SEC and ranks third in the country with an .833 completion percentage (55-of-66), behind only Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and UAB’s Jacob Zeno. Receiver Xavier Legette leads the SEC and ranks second in the country in receiving yards per game at 148.0, trailing only Miami (O)’s Gage Larvadain.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer served on Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator in 2016 and ‘17. UGA’s co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp served as the Gamecocks’ head coach from 2016-20, posting a 28-30 record.

It’s the eighth time that Carolina will face the A.P.’s top-ranked team in school history. They are 1-6 when playing the No. 1 team previously, with the lone win coming against Alabama in 2010. This will mark South Carolina’s first opportunity to face the No. 1 ranked team in the country on the road since 1996 at Florida.

Why Bet on the Georgia Bulldogs?

Georgia (2-0) comes off a 45-3 rout of Ball State. Six different Georgia players scored touchdowns, the defense had three interceptions, and the Bulldogs had outgained the Cardinals 387-224. Quarterback Carson Beck was sharp in his second start, completing 23 of 30 passes for 283 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception on a bobbled pass.

Currently, Georgia ranks 14th nationally with an average of 46.5 points/game. A few offensive veterans have not suited up in the first two games and should bolster the unit when they return. The Bulldogs are missing wideout Ladd McConkey and running back Daijun Edwards. Also of note, Kendall Milton is not 100 percent but has played in the first two games. In the opener, he finished with a team-high 53 yards on nine carries including a 37-yarder. This past Saturday, Milton had seven rushes for 18 yards and a score plus two catches for nine yards.

It was the Bulldogs’ 19th win in a row overall, 20th in a row on Dooley Field, and Georgia set a new school record for regular-season wins in a row with its 29th, passing the 1981-83 teams. The 20-game home winning streak ranks second in school history behind a 24-game home winning streak from 1980-83. The current home streak began with a 21-0 shutout of Kentucky on Oct. 19, 2019.

Georgia is tied for second nationally giving up just 5.0 points/game. The Bulldogs have carried a shutout to the fourth quarter during their first two games this season. UT Martin scored a touchdown with 6:39 left in the contest and Ball State kicked a field goal with 9:05 remaining. The Bulldogs are +3 in turnover margin after collecting a trio INTs in the latest contest with Ball State.

Georgia enters this week’s game ranked atop the Associated Press poll. Four of South Carolina’s top 10 wins in school history according to the A.P. have come against the Bulldogs. Georgia leads the all-time series by a 54-19-2 margin, including a 30-9 mark in Athens. Since becoming SEC Eastern Division rivals in 1992, the Bulldogs own a 21-10 lead in the series.

Last year Georgia won 48-7 at South Carolina. Stetson Bennett (now in the NFL) went 16-for-23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. The Gamecocks lone score came on a fourth quarter touchdown pass. The 41-point margin of victory was the greatest in the 75-game series.

South Carolina vs. Georgia Betting Trends

• South Carolina is 8-4 SU in the last 12 games.
• Gamecocks are 1-7 SU in its last 8 games against Georgia.
• The total went over in 4 of South Carolina’s last 5 games.
• Georgia is 10-0 SU in the last 10 games.
• Bulldogs are 19-0 SU in its last 19 games at home.
• The total went over in 4 of Georgia’s last 6 games.

South Carolina vs. Georgia Expert Betting Predictions

Georgia 34, South Carolina 10.

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