Staff picks: South Carolina at Tennessee, more from an interesting Week 5

South Carolina heads out this weekend for another tough road test, this time with a rival with some recent history.

The Gamecocks play in Knoxville, the first matchup against these two programs after a walloping 63-38 win last season in Williams-Brice for the Gamecocks.

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Here’s how the GamecockCentral and 107.5 FM staff see this game going plus a few other games on a conference-heavy Week 5 docket.

Chris Clark: The line on this game seems a bit high to me; this is yet another on USC’s 2023 schedule that falls close to, or in, toss-up range. While I think South Carolina still has its flaws, so does Tennessee. The Vols have really had just one test this season, which it did not come close to passing. Here’s to thinking USC’s defense does enough and that Spencer Rattler once again makes some big plays on the road. South Carolina 28, Tennessee 24.

Terry Ford: I know the Gamecocks are double-digit dogs on the road but I just don’t buy into Tennessee. The Vols looked bad in their only game against a decent team when they got rolled in The Swamp. Because Joe Milton isn’t Hendon Hooker, the Vols really need to run the ball. But they couldn’t do that against Florida and the USC defensive front shut down a good Mississippi State rushing attack. South Carolina has the better QB, who is playing out of his mind. If the improving Gamecock O-Line can keep a really good Volunteer pass rush off of Spencer Rattler, South Carolina wins. South Carolina 32, Tennessee 29.

Griffin Goodwyn: The last time the South Carolina and Tennessee faced off, the Gamecocks pulled off the biggest upset of the Shane Beamer era by defeating the Volunteers 63-38. After essentially getting knocked out of the College Football Playoff by that result, Tennessee will be looking for blood when South Carolina comes to their house this weekend. Almost every indicator gives the Volunteers an advantage – they lead the SEC in rushing yards per game (229.5) and total sacks (16), are 12-point favorites, and have an 18-3 record against the Gamecocks in Neyland Stadium. Yet the Gamecocks have an advantage at the position that matters with Spencer Rattler at quarterback, and as long as the secondary can put a clamp on Tennessee’s receivers, I can see the Gamecocks pulling a second upset in as many years. South Carolina 30, Tennessee 27.

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Tyler Head: South Carolina had a rough night defending Will Rogers through the air last week, despite this they slowed MSU’s run game enough and held on to win. Joe Milton doesn’t pose the same threat throwing the ball and while Tennessee is one of the best rushing teams in the nation, I think the Gamecocks’ front can do enough to stifle them. South Carolina 27, Tennessee 24.

Joe Macheca: South Carolina needs a big game from their defense if they want to win this one. The defensive line NEEDS to get pressure on Joe Milton to force some turnovers. I think the defense does that, tightens things up in the secondary, and figures that out. Spencer does Spencer things and The Gamecocks win a shootout. South Carolina 42, Tennessee 35.

Wes Mitchell: First of all, I think most of my GC brethren are going a little too high-scoring for this one. These are obviously two offenses with the capability to light it up but I don’t think enough is being made about how good Tennessee is on defense. I certainly believe Spencer Rattler and this offense can put up some points in this one but I also think it’s going to be hard to get into the high 30s with the amount of pressure Tennessee’s front puts on people. this game will come down to whether Carolina’s o-line can hold up and if the defense can force the Vols into a couple of turnovers. South Carolina 31, Tennessee 27.

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Jay Philips: The Gamecocks continued to improve in the run game – and Spencer Rattler had another very impressive night – in the win over Mississippi State. Those trends will need to continue if Carolina has a shot in Knoxville. While UT’s stats look impressive, they’ve really only played one tough opponent, and that was in the loss at Florida. They have several weapons on offense, but Joe Milton is not Hendon Hooker. If the SC DL can keep its good play going and affect the Vols negatively then Carolina will win. If UT gets it together at home and exploits what Carolina doesn’t do well it’ll be their game. The series has been tight over the years, and I expect that again. I’ll call the upset this week. South Carolina 30, Tennessee 27.

Kendall Smith: If South Carolina’s secondary can contain the passing game for Tennessee, I feel good about this for the Gamecocks. Spencer is playing his best ball right now, the O-line is making improvements each week, and Mario Anderson looked really good against Mississippi State. Ultimately, it’s on the defense to stop Joe Milton and erase opportunities to be successful on the deep ball, because this has the potential to be high scoring. This game is personal, especially for Tennessee. Sometimes it’s good to have that emotion driving you, but sometimes it isn’t. I think Tennessee comes out too over the top, racks up silly penalties, and that will help South Carolina win a tight one. South Carolina 38, Tennessee 31.

Collyn Taylor: A lot of things tell you this should be a Tennessee win. The Vol offense tends to expose younger secondaries, and the defensive front has a knack for pressuring the quarterback. But the Gamecocks have the better quarterback, arguably on-par skill players at receiver and a front seven that’s really come along the last two games. There’s just something telling me South Carolina wins in a shootout. South Carolina 39, Tennessee 38.

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Mike Uva: Despite Tennessee not being battle-tested the same way South Carolina has through four weeks, the Gamecocks have struggled on the road in SEC play in recent years (3-7). I really like the direction USC is headed in, especially after getting their run game going last week, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they pull-off the upset. But until they can prove they can play 60 minutes on the road in a game like this, it’s hard to pick them. Tennessee 34, South Carolina 27.

Jack Veltri: If you don’t think Tennessee is pissed off about what South Carolina did to them last year, you are sadly mistaken. This Vols team hasn’t forgotten about the 63-38 beatdown the Gamecocks gave them, swiftly ending their playoff hopes. They will be out for blood and will look to run the score up. I think it’s going to be a tough game and atmosphere. Black out game at Neyland Stadium will be crazy.

But I do think South Carolina will be as ready as ever for this one. I expect a lot of scoring. It’s really going to come down to whether or not the defense can slow down the run game and force Joe Milton to throw more. They’ll win if they do that. I picked them to lose 63-14 to Tennessee last year, and they ended up proving me wrong with a 63-point showing of their own. I’m not betting against them again. Give me the Gamecocks. South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35.

Chris Wellbaum: Against Florida, Tennessee looked like the same team that South Carolina humiliated last season: undisciplined, mistake-prone, and a defense that aspires to be called shaky. The difference is that Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt aren’t walking through that door. South Carolina has enough confidence in Spencer Rattler to let him go win the game, Tennessee doesn’t have the same confidence in Joe Milton. And yes, I’m ignoring South Carolina’s history of laying an egg in Knoxville. South Carolina 44, Tennessee 33.

Picker	Louisville at NC State	Utah at Oregon St.	Florida at Kentucky	Southern Cal at Colorado	Texas A&M at Arkansas	South Alabama at James Madison	Notre Dame at Duke	Baylor at UCF
Chris Clark (24-12)	NC State	Utah	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	South Alabama	Notre Dame	UCF
Terry Ford (23-13)	Louisville	Oregon St.	Florida	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF
Griffin Goodwyn (26-10)	Louisville	Oregon St.	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF
Tyler Head (22-14)	NC State	Utah	Florida	Southern Cal	Arkansas	James Madison	Duke	UCF
Joe Macheca (21-15)	NC State	Oregon St.	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Arkansas	James Madison	Notre Dame	Baylor
Wes Mitchell (27-9)	Louisville	Oregon St.	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF
Jay Philips (24-12)	Louisville	Oregon St.	Florida	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	Baylor
Kendall Smith (24-12)	NC State	Oregon St.	Florida	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	Baylor
Collyn Taylor (22-14)	Louisville	Utah	Florida	Southern Cal	Arkansas	South Alabama	Duke	UCF
Mike Uva (26-10)	Louisville	Utah	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Texas A&M	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF
Jack Veltri (21-15)	Louisville	Utah	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Arkansas	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF
Chris Wellbaum (22-14)	NC State	Utah	Kentucky	Southern Cal	Arkansas	James Madison	Notre Dame	UCF

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