No. 7 Ole Miss hosts South Carolina for a Week 10 matchup on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Rebels are listed as 12.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 55.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction, and best bet for this matchup between these two SEC opponents.
Ole Miss vs. South Carolina prediction, preview
Ole Miss Preview
The Rebels are a top-ten team in the country with a clear path to the College Football Playoff ahead. Lane Kiffin has never made the CFP before in his career, despite having some great teams. Ole Miss has matchups against South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State left on the schedule, three games where it should be a significant favorite. However, all three teams are also capable of rising up and upsetting Ole Miss if it doesn’t bring its best stuff. While it has been a great season for Ole Miss, they have not beaten teams with margin in SEC play. All four of its SEC wins came by one possession, not to mention a three-point win in a non-conference game against a bad Washington State team. Ole Miss is flirting with disaster and needs to remain focused down this final stretch.
South Carolina Preview
South Carolina is having a disappointing season. The Gamecocks had high expectations after a sensational 2024 season. LaNorris Sellers was touted as a Heisman candidate, and the Gamecocks had CFP aspirations. However, the poor offensive line play, lack of a run game and loss of NFL talent on defense have been too much for South Carolina to overcome. The Gamecocks are starting to play better later in the season, however. They played a tight game on the road against LSU and choked away what would have been a massive upset win over Alabama. South Carolina led that game by eight points with ten minutes left, but gave up two late-game scores to lose. The big question is whether South Carolina gets off the map and continues to look competitive or if it is deflated after another crushing loss.
Ole Miss vs. South Carolina pick, best bet
My best bet is for South Carolina to cover the 12.5-point spread. Shane Beamer has been masterful against elite opponents as South Carolina’s head coach. After covering last week against Alabama, Shane Beamer is now 7-1 ATS in his South Carolina tenure against top-ten opponents. On the other side, this is a spot where Lane Kiffin has struggled. The Rebels are coming off an emotional stretch of games, losing to Georgia on the road and beating Oklahoma on the road in their past two games. Last season, Ole Miss missed out on the College Football Playoff by losing to a Florida team whose season was already over the week after a big win over Georgia. Ole Miss has also not shown the ability to blow out SEC teams. The Rebels have yet to win a conference game by more than one score. The Gamecocks should also be able to keep it within a score and cover this spread in Oxford.
