South Carolina Gamecocks vs Texas A&M Aggies Point Spread Picks

Oh, what a difference a year can make. No greater example of that than this South Carolina-Texas A&M matchup. The Gamecocks whipped the Aggies, 44-20, as 3-point home underdogs behind their dual-threat star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, last November. Now look at how large the point spread is - and it's totally justified. Texas A&M is 9-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country. South Carolina comes into Kyle Field with a 3-6 record and an offense that ranks among the worst in the nation in nearly every statistical category. Sellers may be the biggest disappointment of all the quarterbacks, given how much Heisman Trophy hype he received before the season. The Gamecocks are 1-6 in the SEC. It hasn't just been Sellers why South Carolina has been so bad. The Gamecocks struggle to stop the run, and they also struggle to run the ball themselves, ranking 119th in rushing. They have also failed to generate an intense pass rush, despite having talented defensive linemen. The Aggies are the 12th-highest scoring team in the nation, averaging 37.8 points. Their quarterback, Marcel Reed, is having the massive type of season many envisioned for Sellers. Take Texas A&M.

As usual, the SEC is a sheer gauntlet of very good teams. There is a different team at the top in the Texas A&M Aggies at 5-0. The Aggies have a tremendous defense, which the main reason they are 7-1 on the season. The Aggies are allowing 18.4 PPG. South Carolina has allowed a lot of points when facing very good offenses but still held Alabama and Ole Miss to 27 points each. The Aggies have dominated this series, having won nine of the last 10 games, and the total has been in favor of the UNDER in six of the last eight meetings, including three of the last four played at South Carolina. Make the play UNDER the total in this one.

One of these years Texas A&M is going to rise to the top of the SEC, but it isn't this year. Texas A&M seems to have a very solid team every year, and they have won eight or more games in nine of 11 seasons, they just can't get over the top. The Gamecocks had three straight 11-win seasons about a decade ago but have not been able to get back to that level since. South Carolina can score, which makes them as dangerous as a big dog. They put up 39 against Florida and 37 against Miss St. I think Texas A&M is two touchdowns better than South Carolina, but with Texas A&M suffering back-to-back losses to Alabama and Tennessee, any hopes they had a competing in a major bowl have disappeared. I think after two grueling games, the Aggies will be bringing less than their "A" game to this one. Make the ply on South Carolina.