2012 College Football Picks: Georgia @ South Carolina Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 10/6/2012

2012 College Football Picks: Georgia @ South Carolina Vegas Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 10/6/2012: Control of the SEC East and a possible inside track to the BCS title game is up for grabs this weekend when the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) go on the road to face the sixth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (5-0). The game will be a battle of contrasting styles as South Carolina’s elite defense will try to slow down Georgia’s high-powered offense. In fact, The Bulldogs haven’t scored under 40 points all year, and the Gamecocks haven’t allowed more than 17 all season. Needless to say, something has to give Saturday. Playing at home, South Carolina is a two-point favorite.

Last year’s meeting between the two teams produced a thriller as the Gamecocks outlasted the Bulldogs in a 45-42 shootout. Georgia quarterback Andrew Murray threw for four touchdowns in the game, and South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore ran for 176 yards. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks also scored on defensive touchdown, a fake punt and set up a couple of other scores via turnovers. Murray and Lattimore are among the stars back for this year’s game, and big plays by both teams on both sides of the ball should highlight another tight, entertaining game between these two division rivals.

Georgia Wins If:

The strength of this team is its offense, and the Bulldogs currently rank eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 48.2 points per game. Murray is probably the best QB in the conference, and Georgia’s running back duo of Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall have combined for 964 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging an incredible 8.1 yards per carry. As long as they can limit the turnovers that gave the Gamecocks several easy scores last year, it is going to be tough for South Carolina to keep pace. After all, Murray and company moved the ball up and down the field against the Gamecocks’ stout defense in 2011, and there is no reason they can’t do it again Saturday. If Georgia’s talent-laden defense also comes to the party for the first time this year, the Bulldogs will be in the driver’s seat.

South Carolina Wins If:

Although quarterback Connor Shaw has given South Carolina the best offense it has had in decades, the Gamecocks are still inconsistent when it comes to scoring points. Lattimore has to have a big game in order for South Carolina to win, and his ability to chew up yards and keep Georgia’s offense off the field will be a valuable asset. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s conference-leading run defense has to make the Georgia offense as one dimensional as possible and find a way to force a few turnovers. If the Gamecocks’ loaded defensive front slow down Georgia’s freshmen running backs and terrorize Murray in the pocket, South Carolina has a chance to force the game-changing turnovers that basically won last year’s meeting.

Bottom Line:

The Bulldogs proved last season that they can score against South Carolina, and while the Gamecocks currently boast the sixth-best scoring defense in the country, it is going to take plenty of scoring to win this game. Even with Shaw and Lattimore, the South Carolina offense just doesn’t have the firepower or explosiveness of the Georgia attack. The poor play of the Bulldogs’ defense will help South Carolina put some points on the board, but the chances of the Gamecocks getting multiple touchdowns on defense and special teams two years in a row are slim. Murray and the Georgia offense will deliver more big plays than the South Carolina defense, and in the end, the Gamecocks just won’t be able to keep up and outscore the Bulldogs.

Prediction: Georgia Bulldogs (+2) Cover the Spread 

Georgia @ South Carolina Vegas Odds and Total
Line: South Carolina -1.5
Total: Over/Under 53.5
Television: 7 PM EST on ESPN

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