Kentucky vs. South Carolina: National Media Predictions

The first SEC matchup of the new 16-team era is in Lexington, Kentucky. When week two ends, either Kentucky or South Carolina will have sole possession of first place in the SEC. Who will be victorious? Let’s take a closer look at how the national media believes Saturday’s matchup at Kroger Field will unfold.

ESPN Matchup Predictor

ESPN’s SP+ forecasts a 31-20 Kentucky victory over South Carolina, while FPI estimates an 8.1 margin of victory for the Cats. ESPN’s Bill Connelly had this to say about the matchup:

Safe to say, South Carolina understands how much improvement it needs after last week’s nearly disastrous 23-19 win over Old Dominion. Young Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a terrible first start — he’s officially 117th in Total QBR one week into his first year as starter — and now he’ll have to deal with a defensive front that is quite a bit better than ODU’s.

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Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

Under of the Week: South Carolina at Kentucky: If I were to issue a set of power rankings every week of games most likely to finish with a 9-6 score, this would be No. 1. It could get ugly. The Wildcats offense was actually pretty decent against Southern Miss last week, but it moved at a glacier-like pace, and I don’t think that was solely the plan for Southern; I think it’s just what Kentucky wants to do. Meanwhile, South Carolina ran a billion plays (OK, so it was only 72), but nearly all were terrible.

The Gamecocks currently rank 107th in points per possession, 108th in EPA per play and 105th in explosive play rate. The passing game, in particular, was tough to watch. I expect the Gamecocks will try to play with pace in this spot but won’t be successful enough to do so. It’s much more likely Kentucky will take command and go boa constrictor on the game clock. Pick: Under 42.5 (-108)

Got thoughts? Continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board.

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Brandon Marcello, CBS Sports

Boy, South Carolina has significant problems on offense. The Gamecocks’ two touchdowns in a 23-19 squeaker against Old Dominion were gift-wrapped turnovers inside the 10-yard line. Heralded freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers completed only 10 of 24 passes for 114 yards and was sacked four times. His legs got them out of trouble with 68 yards on 22 totes. He should be better than this.

Meanwhile, Kentucky cruised to a 31-0 win against Southern Miss in a weather-shortened game that ended in the third quarter. Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff looked pretty darn good, completing 12 of 18 throws for 169 yards and three touchdowns against one interception (a tipped ball), and the new transfers at receiver have curbed the the dropped pass rate from the group last season. South Carolina has won the last two in this series, but I’ve got the Wildcats pulling away in a double-digit win Saturday. Pick: Kentucky -6

Chris Fallica, Fox Sports

“South Carolina’s two touchdown drives last week against Old Dominion: three yards, six yards. They looked terrible on offense,” Fallica said on the Bear Bets Gambling Show. “I don’t want to overreact to that performance, but I don’t know how much improvement you’re going to see from week one to week two with Sellers at quarterback against Mark Stoops’ defense there in Lexington.”

Pick: Kentucky -10

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On3 Picks for Kentucky vs. South Carolina

“If South Carolina can run the football, then we’ve got a whole different way to look at this game and South Carolina may very well go into Kroger Field and leave with a dub if you can’t stop them on the ground,” JD PicKell said on The Hard Count.

“However, if Deone Walker has anything to say about it, then that front seven of Kentucky, along with Georgia transfer Jamon Dumas-Johnson has anything to say about it, this game is a little bit interesting because you force South Carolina to throw the football and that’s a whole other can of worms. We don’t know what that’ll look like, quite frankly.”

PicKell picks the Cats to win and cover with a 27-14 victory. Andy and Ari weren’t so confident in forecasting this SEC matchup.

“I am not sure Kentucky is going to cover or win. This is a must-watch,” said Staples.

Kentucky vs. South Carolina: How to Watch

• Kickoff: 3:45 p.m. ET (Broadcast starts at 3:30 p.m.)
• TV: ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
• Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
  • AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
  • FM: 98.1 WBUL
  • Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 139 or 191
• Live Stats: UKAthletics.com

You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard, with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from our couches at home.