Kentucky up to a double-digit favorite vs. South Carolina

We’re still less than 24 hours removed from Kentucky’s season-opening 31-0 win (which was cut short in the third quarter due to lightning) over Southern Miss, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next week.

The Wildcats will host South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 7 in what will be a must-win for the blue and white. The SEC Nation crew is coming to Lexington for the important early-season showdown, where Kentucky will be considered the favorite for the 3:30 p.m. EST kickoff on ABC. A handful of sportsbooks already have UK as a touchdown favorite (give or take a couple of points) to take down the Gamecocks next weekend.

But the folks over at Circa Sports opened with an even more optimistic spread for Kentucky, tabbing the ‘Cats as a 10-point favorite with the over-under set at 44.5.

Kentucky was always likely to be the favorite for this matchup, and that was the case even before Saturday’s opening slate of games. But after South Carolina needed a fourth-quarter comeback to take down Old Dominion at home, 23-19, in a game they entered as 20-point favorites, it’s no wonder the money is swinging heavily toward Kentucky.

Shane Beamer’s squad will surely perform better against an SEC foe with a week of film under their belt, but it’s tough to look past their lackluster performance against a program they paid $1.5 million to play. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor is also a believer in Kentucky getting the win, giving the Wildcats a 70 percent chance to beat South Carolina.

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