Gators Online Gameday Predictions: Florida Gators vs. South Carolina

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators (4-2, 2-1 SEC) are perfect at home, but far from it on the road. They will look to change that narrative this week when they travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks.

Gators Online staff writers Zach Abolverdi, Nick de la Torre and Corey Bender, and Keith Niebuhr, will pick every game this season and we will keep track of our staff picks and predictions as the year goes.

Zach Abolverdi

On paper, the numbers don’t lie. This is a game the Gators should win. They match up favorably against South Carolina and have the advantage in every offensive and defensive category, except passing offense. However, it could be a big day for Florida quarterback Graham Mertz against the Gamecocks, who have the worst passing defense in the SEC, while QB Spencer Rattler will face the league’s top-ranked passing defense in UF.

Of course, it’s an away game for the Gators and their struggles outside from The Swamp have been well documented (1-7 under Billy Napier). So much so that Napier tweaked the team’s travel schedule for Columbia, and the road woes have been a point of emphasis this week. Williams-Brice Stadium will be a tougher place to play than Utah and Kentucky, but the Gamecocks aren’t as good as either one of those teams.

Prediction: Florida, 27-20

Corey Bender

For me, I believe Florida is the better team with more young depth on the rise.

Graham Mertz has been efficient running the offense, and more often than not, the skill players have been answering as well. I was highly impressed by the Gators’ ability to rebound from the Kentucky loss and then beat Vanderbilt by double-digit points the following week.

However, Florida on the road compared to Florida at home are two completely different programs. Mertz has plenty of experience to operate in these hostile environments, but UF can’t afford to play catch-up like they were forced to against Kentucky.

UF is built to run the ball behind the strong duo of Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne. That makes Mertz’s job much easier in terms of finding openings downfield, but the Gators are not at their best when forced to constantly throw the ball.

I have been going back and forth on this one for much of the week. It’s going to be a very competitive matchup, but UF needs to show me improvement on the road. That is the key here.

Prediction: South Carolina, 34-24

Keith Niebuhr

Florida has to turn things around on the road at some point. Right? 

If it’s going to happen, this weekend is the perfect opportunity. South Carolina probably isn’t as bad as its record suggests, but the Gamecocks might be a little banged up even coming off a bye. And their offensive line has really struggled.

If the Gators don’t fall apart early (like they did at Utah and Kentucky), their offensive balance could pay off in the second half. Meanwhile, this is a chance for the defensive line to have a big game. 

If things don’t come together this weekend for Florida, winning even a single road game this year might not happen.

Prediction: Florida, 27-16

Nick de la Torre

I’ve gone back and forth on this pick. On one hand, all three of South Carolina’s losses have come to top-25 teams. The Gamecocks are 14-2 when coming off a bye week since 2009, including 2-0 under Shane Beamer. The Gators have been terrible on the road, a completely different team away from The Swamp. These are certainly factors that Las Vegas bookmakers took into account when opening the line at -2.5 in South Carolina’s favor.

Florida will be as healthy as they have been all season this week, getting Austin Barber and Trevor Etienne back. On paper, South Carolina has struggled in seemingly every facet of the game outside of throwing the ball. They have not been able to run and lead the SEC in sacks allowed. This should be an opportunity the Gators take advantage of this week.

Prediction: Florida, 28-17

Tracking the picks

Game	Abolverdi	Bender	Niebuhr	de la Torre
Season Record:	5-1	4-2	5-1	5-1
Utah	Utah ✅	Utah ✅	Utah ✅	Florida ❌
McNeese	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅
Tennessee	Florida ✅	Tennessee ❌	Florida ✅	Florida ✅
Charlotte	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅
Kentucky	Florida ❌	Florida ❌	Florida ❌	Kentucky ✅
Vanderbilt	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅	Florida ✅
South Carolina	Florida	South Carolina	Florida	Florida
Georgia				
Arkansas				
LSU				
Missouri				
Florida State