Staff picks: South Carolina-Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl

South Carolina is a day away from kicking off against Notre Dame in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

The Gamecocks (8-4) are vying for win No. 9 and arguably the best season since 2013 when they went 11-2.

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They’ll have to do it, though, against a good Notre Dame team also searching for its ninth win of the year.

The game should be a good one against two ranked opponents, but here’s how the GamecockCentral staff sees this game playing out.

Chris Clark: This is a game that is even more difficult to pick than a typical college football contest. Both teams are missing not only pieces but critical pieces of their teams. Here’s to thinking that USC, despite having more defections overall, has the better situation at quarterback. That could be enough to give them an edge. South Carolina 31, Notre Dame 27

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Joe Macheca: The Gamecock defense finds a way to stop the high-powered Notre Dame rushing attack. Spencer Rattler continues his excellent play but leaves just enough out there to return in 2023. The Irish are a shell of themselves without Michael Mayer and Isaiah Foskey. South Carolina 35, Notre Dame 21.

Wes Mitchell: Obviously, Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells finished the season on a roll and I’d expect more of that from the Gamecocks in Jacksonville. Add in the fact that Notre Dame has an impressive rushing attack and the Gamecocks have struggled to stop the run and there could be an opportunity for both teams to score some points. Give me the team with the best QB in a close one. South Carolina 31, Notre Dame 28.

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Michael Sauls: Both teams are down massive contributors on the offensive side of the ball so I’m intrigued to see how this game plays out. You can make the argument that Michael Mayer was Notre Dame’s entire offense, so the Fighting Irish will certainly be hurting with him gone. Notre Dame does have a stellar backfield and I think it’ll rely on the run game against a South Carolina team that has had an inconsistent run defense and is missing a big piece in Zacch Pickens. They’ll also have to rely on the ground game with an inexperienced quarterback in Tyler Buchner. Both teams have top special teams units so they’ll either cancel each other out or we’ll have a special teams battle in Jacksonville. I’m not convinced either of these teams will blow the other out, and I could 100% see either team winning on a late field goal. Notre Dame 27, South Carolina 24

Kendall Smith: South Carolina has the biggest offensive weapon in this game despite the losses of MarShawn Lloyd and Jaheim Bell, and that’s the Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells connection. I think the Gamecocks will have a big day offensively tomorrow and pull out some fun plays on special teams, too. Notre Dame is a talented group, but I just think they’re too thin from a numbers standpoint, and especially thin at quarterback right now, to take down South Carolina. South Carolina, 34, Notre Dame 24.

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Collyn Taylor: Right now South Carolina is the more known commodity at this point. The Gamecocks have more of their biggest pieces on the field Friday compared to Notre Dame. The Gamecocks have a chance to air the ball out a bit but Notre Dame should be able to run the ball. It’ll be close, but South Carolina has enough on the field to get win No. 9. South Carolina 34, Notre Dame 25.

Mike Uva: With USC thin at tight end, I expect the Gamecocks to rely heavily on their wide receivers. Shane Beamer has admitted in the past that he reads some of the predictions before games. So if they don’t use their receivers I’m blaming it on Beamer reading my prediction. South Carolina 27, Notre Dame 17

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Jack Veltri: The Gamecocks might have lost some key pieces, but I still think they’ve got some gas left in the tank. Spencer Rattler and Juice Wells coming back for the bowl game give me enough confidence to roll with South Carolina. This is going to be another signature win in what has been a great second year for Shane Beamer. South Carolina 35, Notre Dame 24. 

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