Missouri @ No. 13 South Carolina (-6) TV: ESPN 7:00 pm Saturday
Daniel: Another rule that works pretty well when picking: don’t pick an SEC team that just lost to Indiana the following week in a tough road game. That being said, I think Missouri will bounce back somewhat against what’s been an up-and-down Gamecocks squad. It wouldn’t stun me to see this one be pretty close heading into the fourth quarter – that’s just been the nature of the SEC East this year. But South Carolina is the better team and that will be too tough for Missouri to overcome on the road. Winner: South Carolina 34-24
Houston: Talk about two up and down teams. South Carolina gets their doors blown off by Texas A&M only to rebound and beat Georgia in Columbia before struggling for three quarters to put away Vanderbilt. Confused? Me too. Missouri, through three games, looked like a potential contender for the East but then lost…at home…TO INDIANA? How does that happen? I have to think that the Tigers got caught looking ahead to the Gamecocks and thought they could sleepwalk through their game against the Hoosiers. The question now is can Missouri put that loss behind them and rebound for a revenge win in Columbia, SC. I don’t think so, but this one seems strange to me. Winner: South Carolina (somewhat reluctantly) 31-27
Reed: Don’t pick against the Gamecocks at home. Yes, they got blitzed by Texas A&M to open the season, but they followed that up with nice home wins over ECU and Georgia. Missouri, however, is coming off an inexplicable home loss to a horrible Indiana team. Dylan Thompson has been sneaky good and ranks fourth in the SEC in passing yards per game. Look for Gamecock running back Mike Davis to get rolling too. South Carolina, with a victory here, will prove they’re still very much a player for the SEC Championship. Winner: South Carolina 31-21
Zac: Missouri was without talented defense end Markus Golden (hamstring) in last week’s loss to Indiana. That’s a big reason why the Hoosiers rang up 241 rushing yards against the Tigers. Questions exist on the offensive line, as well, as Missouri just lost fifth-year senior left guard Anthony Gatti to a torn ACL. That’s a tough spot for the Tigers as they travel to face they Gamecocks, who have won two straight in the series. South Carolina gets just enough from Dylan Thompson and Mike Davis to win a close one. Winner: South Carolina 24-17
