Staff Picks: South Carolina vs. Missouri, other Week 12 matchups

The last time South Carolina was ranked and beat another ranked team was all the way back in 2014. Now ranked at No. 21, the Gamecocks will have a chance to exorcise plenty of demons and get another huge win on Saturday.

In a Top 25 SEC showdown, No. 21 South Carolina will face No. 23 Missouri at Williams-Brice Stadium at 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network.

The GamecockCentral and 107.5 The Game staffs shared their predictions for the game between the Gamecocks and Tigers as well as other Week 12 matchups from around the country. Also, let’s give a big shoutout to GamecockCentral’s own Peyton Butt for becoming the first this season to go a perfect 9-0 in staff picks for Week 11!

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George Bagwell: If Drew Pyne is starting, South Carolina might end up with their first bagel of the year. But this is assuming Brady Cook, though hobbled, can make the game. South Carolina’s defensive front is clicking on all cylinders, and the offense is starting to hit their stride as well. Gamecocks by multiple touchdowns I think. South Carolina 34, Missouri 13.

Peyton Butt: Although South Carolina has struggled greatly in the past to beat the Tigers, I think this year is the year to break the curse. With Brady Cook being listed as doubtful for the game, Missouri’s offense will not be able to compete with the strength we’ve seen on South Carolina’s defense. South Carolina 31, Missouri 21.

Elijah Campbell: It’s time to exorcise those Drinkwitz demons!! Mizzou is banged up on the OL and that’s a terrifying proposition facing this Carolina defense. I think Sellers protects the ball again, the run game is efficient and Drew Pyne (still assuming he starts) has a day that he’ll never forget…in a bad way. Give me the Cocks even against the spread. South Carolina 27, Missouri 13.

Chris Clark: South Carolina will reverse the trend of not being able to run the football and this defense will once again make some plays. South Carolina 31, Missouri 14.

Terry Ford: It will be closer than it should be but the Gamecocks defense and running game will be more than enough to FINALLY get that “W” vs Eli. South Carolina 27, Missouri 16.

Griffin Goodwyn: Both South Carolina and Missouri will be riding high into this matchup with plenty of momentum on their respective sides — the Gamecocks stormed their way to a dominant victory over Vanderbilt on the road, while the Tigers relied on a late comeback to pick up a narrow win over Oklahoma. Momentum likely won’t play a factor in this matchup, though. South Carolina will have a big advantage on defense and with their home crowd, and if Brady Cook ultimately is unable to play, Missouri’s offensive production will take a dip. Despite their recent losing skid to the Tigers, the Gamecocks should win on Saturday. South Carolina 27, Missouri 13.

[See the Gamecock discussion on The Insiders Forum!]

Tyler Head: South Carolina comes in to this one confident add rightfully so. The defense should have another strong outing and the offense is clicking so far in November. South Carolina 34, Missouri 14.

Wes Mitchell: This is not the South Carolina team that has lost to Missouri five straight times (nor is it the same Tigers team for that matter). The Gamecocks’ physicality should be too much in this one, especially at home in Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina 31, Missouri 13.

Jay Philips: This matchup favors South Carolina in almost every way: healthier team, playing their best football, filled with confidence and so on. The one major concern is that Eli Drinkwitz has Carolina’s number, and he seems borderline obsessed with winning this game each year. I doubt that’s changed, but now is the time for the Gamecocks to end the streak and reassert themselves against Missouri. In games with common opponents (Bama, A&M, Oklahoma, Vandy) the Tigers are 2-2 and have been outscored 125-70, while Carolina is 3-1, outscoring those teams 125-61. Does that matter? Maybe, but it certainly shows us something about these clubs. If now isn’t the time for the Gamecocks to win this game, when is? Time to stand up to Eli. South Carolina 34, Missouri 23.

Kendall Smith: It’s finally time for South Carolina to get past previous struggles against Missouri and earn a win. The Gamecocks are playing their best football of the season, Sellers is looking more and more confident each game, and the defense continues to shine. I don’t expect that to stop in an electric, hyped up Williams Brice environment this weekend. South Carolina 28, Missouri 17. 

Mike Uva: The last time South Carolina beat Missouri was in 2018. How long ago was that? Jake Bentley was a junior and Michael Scarnecchia, who was recruited by Steve Spurrier, started at QB. Yeah. It’s been way too long. But, like how Kentucky was a thorn in the Gamecocks’ backside for several years, the only way you can turn the tide is by ending their winning streak and starting your own, one game at a time. I expect USC to do just that this weekend in front of a rowdy Williams-Brice Stadium to keep this magical season rolling. South Carolina 27, Missouri 13.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Wofford football game]

Jack Veltri: Yeah, Missouri has dominated this rivalry in recent years. But South Carolina has all the things it’s seemingly been missing when it has lost to the Tigers. The run game is much improved. The defense has been able to make any quarterback’s life miserable. This is also a much more physical team than before. Couple all that with just how well this team has been playing, I expect the Gamecocks to come out and dominate. South Carolina 34, Missouri 10.

Chris Wellbaum: I am locked into the reverse jinx at this point. I’m making this pick before we know if Brady Cook will play, but it shouldn’t matter against South Carolina’s pass rush. The Gamecocks have found their identity as a team while the Tigers barely edged Oklahoma. Missouri 21, South Carolina 20.

Kevin Miller: Don’t let the records or the similar rankings fool you: South Carolina is hot, and Missouri is not. Saturday is an opportunity for the Gamecocks to exorcise some demons in the Mayor’s Cup. I don’t see a path to Missouri scoring much in this one. South Carolina 31, Missouri 13.

	Clemson at Pittsburgh	Coastal Carolina at Marshall	Missouri State at North Dakota State	LSU at Florida	Arizona State at Kansas State	Tennessee at Georgia	Montana State at UC Davis	Kansas at BYU
George Bagwell (55-44)	Pittsburgh	Marshall	Missouri State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	UC Davis	Kansas
Peyton Butt (55-44)	Clemson	Coastal Carolina	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Elijah Campbell (63-36)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU	Arizona State	Georgia	UC Davis	Kansas
Chris Clark (57-42)	Pittsburgh	Coastal Carolina	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	Kansas
Terry Ford (72-27)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Griffin Goodwyn (68-31)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Tyler Head (56-43)	Pittsburgh	Coastal Carolina	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	Kansas
Wes Mitchell (64-35)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	Florida	Kansas State	Georgia	UC Davis	Kansas
Jay Philips (64-35)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	UC Davis (sneaky good matchup!)	BYU
Kendall Smith (60-39)	Clemson	Coastal Carolina	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Mike Uva (63-36)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Jack Veltri (64-35)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	LSU		Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Chris Wellbaum (56-43)	Pittsburgh	Coastal Carolina	North Dakota State	LSU	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	BYU
Kevin Miller (36-18)	Clemson	Marshall	North Dakota State	Florida	Kansas State	Georgia	Montana State	Kansas

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