South Carolina vs. Kentucky Picks, Predictions College Football Week 6: Line Move on Underdog

Henry John

Last Updated: January 1, 0001 12:00 AM EST • 2 min 34 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Mark Stoops, the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, is featured in our Ball State vs. Kentucky prediction. — Mark Stoops the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats against the New Mexico State Aggies at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images via AFP.

With the status of Wildcats quarterback Will Levis in doubt, how should bettors approach a matchup against a Gamecocks team that is on the rise? Here are our top South Carolina-Kentucky picks for Week 6.

A jam-packed Saturday of SEC football includes a primetime matchup between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Kentucky Wildcats.

South Carolina (2-3 ATS, 3-2 O/U) comes into Week 6 still searching for its first SEC win. The Gamecocks have already sustained losses to both Arkansas and Georgia this season but beat an FCS opponent in their most recent contest.

As for Kentucky (4-1 ATS, 1-4 O/U), Saturday’s home game provides an opportunity to rebound after coming up short against Ole Miss last week. The Wildcats fumbled on each of their final two offensive possessions in a 22-19 defeat.

Here are our top picks for the Week 6 matchup between South Carolina and Kentucky (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

South Carolina vs. Kentucky Odds

South Carolina vs. Kentucky Picks

South Carolina vs. Kentucky ATS Pick

South Carolina +6.5 (-115) ★★★

Going back several years, Kentucky has thoroughly dominated this head-to-head series ATS. The Wildcats covered the point spread in eight of their last nine meetings against the Gamecocks. Kentucky also won seven of the last eight meetings outright.

The fact that the spread for Saturday’s contest has moved four points and counting in Carolina’s favor across the betting market cannot be ignored. The move has transpired despite 82% of all ATS bets laying the points with Kentucky. Needless to say, this is presumably shaping up to be a bonafide Sharp vs. Square matchup.

The scheduling spot for the Wildcats is quite brutal. After losing a heartbreaker to Ole Miss last week, Mark Stoops’ team is staring at two more games against ranked opponents in the next two weeks. Throw an underwhelming offense into the mix and it’s hard to get excited about laying points with Kentucky against SEC competition.

South Carolina vs. Kentucky O/U Pick

Under 46.5 (-110) ★★★★

Coming into Week 6, South Carolina has scored 30 or more points in four of five games played. On the surface, it would be easy to claim that transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler has provided the spark that the Gamecocks so desperately needed. When one digs a bit deeper, however, the jury is still out on South Carolina’s offense.

Four teams that the Gamecocks found offensive success against aren’t exactly defensive juggernauts. That includes an SEC matchup against Arkansas which is particularly poor at defending the pass. When South Carolina hosted Georgia, it took a late fourth-quarter touchdown just to avoid being shut out.

Kentucky’s defense may not be on par with Georgia’s but it is still one of the top units in the country. The Gamecocks boast one of the nation’s better secondaries in their own right and should be able to contain Will Levis and the Wildcats’ passing attack. That is if Levis even plays in the game. At the time of writing, he remains officially questionable due to an undisclosed injury.

South Carolina vs. Kentucky Prop Pick

First quarter moneyline: South Carolina (+170) ★★

Rather than taking the Gamecocks to cover a 3-point first-quarter spread, why not go for the gusto and back them to win the first 15 minutes outright? After all, this monyeline pricing is absolutely absurd given that the halftime odds at DraftKings are just five cents higher at +175. Furthermore, other sportsbooks in the market have Carolina’s first-half moneyline odds priced lower than this first-quarter offering!

It is worth noting that the Gamecocks have been one of the worst first quarter offenses in all of FBS this season. Given our overall handicap that this will be a close, low-scoring game, South Carolina won’t necessarily need to score much to be leading after 15 minutes. There’s also a real chance that Kentucky comes out flat offensively after last week’s disappointment.

Where to Bet on South Carolina vs. Kentucky Picks

South Carolina-Kentucky picks from 10/6/2022 at 5:56 p.m. ET.

Written By:
Henry John

Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball, and NASCAR. He counts NFL, WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.