by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Nov 17, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Tennessee -22.5
FanDuel: Tennessee -21.5
BetMGM: Tennessee -22.5
Caesars: Tennessee -22
Season record
No. 5 Tennessee: 9-1 (5-1 SEC)
South Carolina: 6-4 (3-4 SEC)
The college football fun never stops and we're inching closer to conference championship season. A lot of big games are still to be determined in who will play whom and where, and our top-notch handicappers have been at the forefront for the last month or so providing you with the winners you need to head into December with some confidence in your pocket. How can you be so sure? Of course you have to look at the likes of Kyle Hunter going 20-8-0 over the last 30 days, as well as Will Rogers at 22-14-0 over the last month. What about Vegas Writer? He's sitting at 12-6-1 over the last 30 days since joining our team of champion handicappers that has been killing it everywhere this year. You see the success rate. You need to be on board to join our guys who can get you where you need to go for the homestretch of the college football season. Make sure you're keeping tabs here at bigal.com to find out what our champion handicappers are thinking in all sports!
Tennessee - South Carolina preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Tennessee: won 66-24 vs. Missouri
South Carolina: lost 38-6 at Florida
The only way the Tennessee Volunteers can find themselves playing for a national championship at this point is with some serious help. The SEC Championship is out of the picture with the Georgia Bulldogs taking on the LSU Tigers, but that doesn’t mean Tennessee still can’t find its way into some hefty discussions this winter if it runs the table. Tennessee will try to win for the 10th time in 11 games when it visits the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
The only way the Tennessee Volunteers can find themselves playing for a national championship at this point is with some serious help. The SEC Championship is out of the picture with the Georgia Bulldogs taking on the LSU Tigers, but that doesn’t mean Tennessee still can’t find its way into some hefty discussions this winter if it runs the table. Tennessee will try to win for the 10th time in 11 games when it visits the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
The Vols are listed as 21.5-point favorites heading into Columbia and given how recent weeks have unfolded, that might be a fair number. South Carolina has yet to gain consistency after wins over Kentucky and Texas A&M, losing two of their next three capped by a 38-6 loss to the Florida Gators last week.
Tennessee meanwhile rebounded from their loss against Georgia in the only way it knew how. It scored 66 points against Missouri in a game that was never really close to begin with. And while I can sit here and say that Tennessee is eventually going to find a way into the College Football Playoff unless things completely go haywire, the fact that they were able to come back as strong as they did and when that game was extremely important.
Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns in something that was completely dominated by Tennessee. Mizzou cut it to 11 at one point but if this was your first time watching Tennessee, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but that was only the beginning.
"The statement is that we're a good football team playing good football," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.
Tennessee is indeed that good and Mizzou is that bad so take that for what you will, but the Vols needed a strong win after losing to Georgia. It’s not completely out of the woodworks just yet, but Tennessee could find its way back to the top-4 if one of the other teams falls out completely.
This is the time the Tennessee needs to take to show that it is much better than its inferior opponents. I don't think that that is exactly a question that needs to be asked, but when we're looking at a situation where you need to ensure that after your great year you end up in the final four, things are going to be taken a little bit differently down the road. I think Tennessee deserves a shot at the College Football Playoff, and I think Tennessee deserves another shot at Georgia in the College Football Playoff.
But when we get to that point, who knows how long into this game we're going to be? But one thing is for sure. Tennessee is a really good football team and should be able to write a lot of wrongs what is it pertains to this college football ranking.
Prediction
Tennessee by a mile. Don’t overthink it, just go with it. Tennessee by 24
Betting trends
Tennessee is 7-1 ATS as a favorite this season.
Tennessee is 53-29 ATS on the road after a game when they forced 1 turnover or less since 1992.
South Carolina is 10-22 ATS at home after covering 4 or 5 of the last six since 1992.
The over is 16-7 in Tennessee's last 23 games the past two seasons.
Statistical leaders
Tennessee:
Passing: Hendon Hooker -- 2,888 yards, 24 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jaylen Wright -- 598 yards, 8 TD
Receiving: Jalin Hyatt -- 1,116 yards, 15 TD
South Carolina:
Passing: Spencer Rattler -- 1,982 yards, 8 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Marshawn Lloyd -- 556 yards, 9 TD
Receiving: Antwane Wells Jr. -- 590 yards, 4 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Tennessee Volunteers - South Carolina Gamecocks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
