Staff picks: Vanderbilt at South Carolina, other Week 11 matchups

South Carolina is back at home after securing a big win over Jacksonville State last weekend. The Gamecocks will host Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.

There’s plenty of other good games going on this weekend. So here’s how the GamecockCentral and 107.5 The Game staff sees this game going plus a few predictions on other key matchups.

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Chris Clark: The Gamecocks’ offense has been much better this season at taking care of the football, and that will be important against an opportunistic Vandy defense. Here’s to thinking that USC does well on that front again, which means they’ll have a good chance to move the ball and score early to keep the pressure on the Commodores. South Carolina 37, Vanderbilt 20

Terry Ford: I feel like this one is simple…the Gamecocks have Spencer Rattler…the Commodores don’t. South Carolina 37, Vanderbilt 24

Griffin Goodwyn: It may not have been pretty, but getting a win last weekend against Jacksonville State was a huge momentum boost for this South Carolina team. As for Saturday, this is a game I have penciled in as one the Gamecocks could win all season. By no means will this game be a pushover — the Commodores bring weapons on offense, including a multiple-quarterback setup, and physicality on both lines to the table. Even though the Gamecocks are in a much different position than I would have expected before Week 1, I have faith they can still win this ball game by multiple possessions. South Carolina 37, Vanderbilt 24

Tyler Head: Vanderbilt has been on a skid this entire season, they can generate explosive and take the ball away at a decent clip, but they haven’t been able to translate that into wins. As long as South Carolina doesn’t derail themselves they shouldn’t have a problem with the ‘Dores. South Carolina 41, Vanderbilt 20

Joe Macheca: I like the Gamecocks in this one. Vandy hasn’t been playing their best football coming in, and Beamer’s squad is all settled in at home. South Carolina is favored by 14 in this game and I don’t think they cover. South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 21

Wes Mitchell: South Carolina is going to need to play better in order to beat Kentucky or Clemson — and it would behoove them to start this week against the Commodores. But Vanderbilt has lost by at least 16 points in every SEC game it’s played this year, so the Gamecocks aren’t going to need a perfect day at the office to win this one, especially in the confines of Williams-Brice Stadium. Carolina should be able to score some points against this Vandy defense and the Gamecocks have consistently scored in the 30s at home. South Carolina 38, Vanderbilt 21

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Jay Phillips: All wins are good wins, and despite the game being ugly for long stretches the Gamecocks found a way last week, and more importantly did bring back a positive vibe within the team. Good for them. Now there’s another chance to improve as best they can against Vandy and continue rebuilding their confidence. Since each of these games can represent a must win opportunity let’s see how they respond. Last week felt flat at times; don’t let that happen again. I expect a little more growth and a little more energy in a Gamecocks win. South Carolina 34, Vanderbilt 20

Kendall Smith: I predicted this already, but give me the Gamecocks in this one with the best offensive performance they’ve had all season. This win is crucial and they’re coming in with confidence… Plus Trey Knox is back! South Carolina 48, Vanderbilt 31

Mike Uva: In what could be in wet and sloppy conditions, the Gamecocks will look their cleanest all year in all three phases. Look for South Carolina to force turnovers and capitalize as they continue to keep their bowl dreams alive. South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 20

Jack Veltri: There’s no excuse to lose this game. South Carolina should be able to win and keep those bowl hopes alive. However, Vanderbilt’s offense shouldn’t be taken lightly with some good playmakers in the passing game. It could be close with how bad the Gamecocks’ secondary might be. But I do think Spencer Rattler and Xavier Legette pose too many problems for the Commodores. South Carolina 45, Vanderbilt 20

Chris Wellbaum: This should be a vintage ACC Coastal game. Explosive offense, special teams, plays, turnovers, and very little defense. Ultimately, Vanderbilt doesn’t have an answer for Rattler and Legette, and they hook up for a couple of long touchdowns to make the difference. South Carolina 43, Vanderbilt 25

	Georgia Tech at Clemson	Alabama at Kentucky	Michigan at Penn State	Maryland at Nebraska	Tennessee at Missouri	Utah at Washington	Ole Miss at Georgia	Duke at UNC
Chris Clark (59-31)	Clemson	Alabama	Penn State	Nebraska	Missouri	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Terry Ford (58-32)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Nebraska	Missouri	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Griffin Goodwyn (64-26)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Nebraska	Tennessee	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Tyler Head (56-34)	Clemson	Kentucky	Michigan	Maryland	Missouri	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Joe Macheca (53-37)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Nebraska	Tennessee	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Wes Mitchell (65-25)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Nebraska	Tennessee	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Jay Philips (62-28)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Maryland	Missouri	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Kendall Smith (58-32)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Maryland	Missouri	Washington	Georgia	Duke
Mike Uva (64-26)	Clemson	Alabama	Michigan	Maryland	Tennessee	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Jack Veltri (53-37)	Georgia Tech	Alabama	Penn State	Nebraska	Tennessee	Washington	Georgia	UNC
Chris Wellbaum (57-33)	Georgia Tech	Alabama	Michigan	Nebraska	Missouri	Utah	Georgia	UNC

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