South Carolina Gamecocks vs South Florida Bulls Point Spread Picks

South Carolina suffered a meltdown in its regular season finale at Clemson, but it was not indicative of its overall defensive performance as the Gamecocks ranked #44 in points allowed (24.8 per game) and #61 in yards allowed (407.2 per game), including the Clemson loss. The Gamecocks had won four of their previous five games, with Jake Bentley passing for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns. Rico Dowdle racked up 714 rushing yards on 121 carries and 14 catches for 47 yards and seven touchdowns. South Carolina has won four Bowl games in a row. South Florida will be coached by T.J. Weist after Willie Taggart left for Oregon. Charlie Strong will be the new head coach next season. Quinton Flowers leads the Bulls in rushing and passing, completing 61.5 percent for 2,546 yards and 22 touchdowns while gaining 1,425 yards on the ground with 15 more touchdowns. Marlon Mack has 1,137 rushing yards on 7.1 yards per carry with 15 touchdowns. And while South Florida has enjoyed a prolific offense, the defense is another story as the Bulls are #120 in the country in yards allowed (482.3 per game) and #86 in points allowed (31.0 per game). They have also given up 40-plus points three of their last five games. South Florida has losses against Temple and Florida State this season when it gave up 46 and 55 points, respectively. This is a big number to cover against a team that has the clear defensive edge. Take the points with South Carolina.