The South Carolina Gamecocks host the Texas A&M Aggies in an important SEC matchup in Week 10. The game kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Gamecocks are listed as seven-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 50.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 10 matchup.
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M Prediction, Preview
Texas A&M Preview
The Aggies are having a nightmare of a season. Last season, Texas A&M made the College Football Playoff for the first time. There were high expectations for Mike Elko and Marcel Reed to replicate their success this season. However, Reed has massively regressed, and the pieces around him are not as talented as they were last season. The Aggies still have a solid defense, but it is not as elite as last season’s unit. Texas A&M has just one win in the SEC this season, and it came at home against Arkansas, arguably the worst team in the conference. Given the rest of their schedule, this Aggies team will be lucky to make a bowl game.
South Carolina Preview
The Gamecocks are one of the hottest teams in the country at the moment. They won back-to-back games against top-20 opponents, Florida and Tennessee, and then went on the road and dominated one of the nation’s best defenses in Norman last week. That three-game winning streak propelled them into the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season. LaNorris Sellers is finally playing like the elite NFL prospect that many expected him to be. His play has made this offense incredibly lethal. While the South Carolina defense isn’t perfect, it is playing well enough to support the great offense. This Gamecock offense now ranks seventh in the country in adj. EPA/play and should keep it rolling this week at home.
South Carolina vs. Texas A&M Pick, Best Bet
My best bet is on South Carolina to cover as touchdown favorites on Saturday. The Gamecocks’ offense has looked like one of the best in the nation over the past few weeks. While Texas A&M has a solid defense, South Carolina has already shown they can get it done against Tennessee and Oklahoma, two of the best defenses in the country. LaNorris Sellers should keep his excellent level of play going and put up some big numbers at home.
The Texas A&M offense is completely incompetent. South Carolina will force them to score points and try to keep up. That will put Marcel Reed under pressure in what should be a great environment at Williams-Brice Stadium. He should make some mistakes and set up short fields for Sellers. Texas A&M has played three road games in the SEC so far this season. In those games, they lost 35-6 to LSU, 27-6 to Missouri and 31-20 to Alabama. South Carolina should make it four straight double-digit conference road losses for the Aggies.
