Staff picks: South Carolina at Georgia, best from Week 3

SEC play is here and South Carolina kicks it off with a rivalry game.

The Gamecocks head down for their first true road test of the season with a game at No. 1 Georgia. It’ll be a tough test against a Bulldog team that’s won 20 straight games at Sanford Stadium.

The last loss was that 20-17 South Carolina win in 2019.

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Before that game kicks off Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the GamecockCentral and 107.5 staff predict that game and a few other highlights from Week 3.

Chris Clark: This UGA team is still loaded with talent even after defections from last year’s team. They haven’t been tested this season, and there could be some questions. Despite Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette’s torrid starts, it’s unclear whether or not USC could take significant advantage here. Points could still be hard to come by on the road, given what we’ve seen from USC on the line of scrimmage. Georgia 30, South Carolina 13.

Terry Ford: I feel like the Georgia run game will be the difference. To stay in the game, South Carolina needs the Bulldogs start slow, turn it over and not play their A game. Also, the Gamecocks need to hit some big plays, protect Spencer Rattler and run it JUST ENOUGH to keep Georgia honest. Georgia 41, South Carolina 20.

Griffin Goodwyn: This weekend will be Georgia’s biggest test after beating up on some non-conference opponents in their first two games of the 2023 season. Spencer Rattler’s been playing out of his mind to begin the campaign, and I think this squad is better than the one that faced Georgia at this point last year. However, the Bulldogs come into this matchup as the No. 1 team in the country for a reason and possess quality at every position. With South Carolina still having questions to answer at running back and along the line, Rattler’s heroics won’t be enough. Georgia 38, South Carolina 17.

[Win a Spencer Rattler-autographed football]

Tyler Head: Too many areas of concern for South Carolina heading into this one. Georgia has gotten off to slow starts in its first two games, but I think they run the ball at will (mainly in the second half) and don’t give the Gamecocks many chances. Georgia 45, South Carolina 13.

Joe Macheca: How dare I consider picking South Carolina in this game? Well, we’ve been saying it all week long: if you have No. 7 at the helm and he is protected, you can beat anyone in the country. This OL has been hearing every ounce of talk about how they will get destroyed by the future Philadelphia Eagles since camp started. I think they come into this game motivated and give No. 7 time to throw and shock the world. Need to force a couple of wonky turnovers as well as getting pressure to Carson Beck, but I do not see as many concerns defensively. South Carolina 27, Georgia 24 (OT).

Wes Mitchell: As much as most of the country seems to assume this is a Georgia team on the same level as last year’s, I’m not quite ready to say that yet. The Dawgs slept-walked through their first two games but I’m not sure we can really read a thing into that either. Carson Beck may turn out to be fantastic but he’s still an unknown at this point, so you have to give the Gamecocks the edge at QB where Spencer Rattler has been fantastic. There’s a path for a Gamecocks win here but it’s a tall, tall task due to Georgia’s advantage in the trenches. Georgia 38, South Carolina 24.

[Win a framed print of The Taunt/D.J. Swearinger from Vista Art]

Jay Philips: Spencer Rattler is playing at a high level, and he has a deep group of pass catchers, but Carolina still struggles to run the ball. I think this can stay closer than some believe, but without significant help from defense and special teams I still see a Georgia win. Georgia 38, South Carolina 20.

Kendall Smith: I’ll be the beacon of light this week (despite my head telling me no, I shall follow my heart). I think Spencer Rattler has something to prove and he’s going to make it known. South Carolina has nothing to lose, so they might as well play like it. Give me the Gamecocks in a CLOSE one. South Carolina 27, Georgia 24.

Collyn Taylor: Georgia is incredibly strong in the areas where South Carolina is weak through the first two weeks. Yes, Spencer Rattler has gone supernova through the first two weeks but Georgia is going to bring a ton of pressure and really affect him. Then Georgia can run the ball and South Carolina is going to have to stop the run but it might be hard to stop that. I can’t see South Carolina keeping pace with so much youth on the roster on the road against an uber-talented Georgia team. Georgia 41, South Carolina 13.

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Mike Uva: No one gave South Carolina a chance against Tennessee and Clemson last year, and that includes me. And yet, they knocked off both teams by playing some of their best ball of the season. As if they needed any more motivation, add my pick against them this week to that mountain as they look to stun the college football world between the hedges. Georgia 30, South Carolina 20.

Jack Veltri: It’s going to be extremely tough for South Carolina to win this weekend. There are a lot of reasons why the Gamecocks should not win this game. Georgia is just better in every aspect on paper. However, I do think South Carolina has one advantage with Spencer Rattler playing his best ball. He’ll continue to play well in Athens. But it won’t be enough to slow down the Dawgs. Georgia 45, South Carolina 35. 

Chris Wellbaum: It’s always possible something crazy could happen and this game is competitive, but I’m pretty skeptical that will happen. So are most people. The goal is to get through the game healthy, avoid embarrassing yourself, and be able to regroup for a more winnable stretch of games ahead. Georgia 45, South Carolina 13.

Picker (record)	Pitt at WVU	Minnesota at UNC	JMU at Troy	Fresno St. at Arizona St.	Washington at Michigan St.	LSU at Miss. St.	TCU at UH	ECU at App St.
Chris Clark (8-10)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Arizona St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Terry Ford (10-8)	Pitt	Minnesota	Troy	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Griffin Goodwyn (10-8)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Tyler Head (10-8)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	Houston	App St.
Joe Macheca (9-9)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	Miss. St.	TCU	App St.
Wes Mitchell (12-6)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Jay Philips (10-8)	Pitt	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Kendall Smith (13-5)	Pitt	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Collyn Taylor (10-8)	WVU	UNC	Troy	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	Houston	App St.
Mike Uva (11-7)	WVU	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.
Jack Veltri (9-9)	WVU	UNC	Troy	Fresno St.	Washington	Miss. St.	TCU	App St.
Chris Wellbaum (8-10)	Pitt	UNC	JMU	Fresno St.	Washington	LSU	TCU	App St.

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