The Alabama Crimson Tide take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Alabama is favored by -11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -450. The total is set at 47.5 points.
Here’s my Alabama vs. South Carolina prediction and college football picks for Saturday, October 25.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, Picks
- Alabama vs. South Carolina Pick: South Carolina +11.5 or Better
My South Carolina vs. Alabama best bet is on the Gamecocks to cover. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Alabama vs South Carolina Odds, Line, Spread
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -115 | 47.5 -118o / -102u | -440 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -105 | 47.5 -118o / -102u | +330 |
- Alabama vs South Carolina Spread: Alabama -10.5, South Carolina +10.5
- Alabama vs South Carolina Over/Under: 47.5 Points
- Alabama vs South Carolina Moneyline: Alabama ML -440, South Carolina ML +330
Alabama vs South Carolina NCAAF Week 9 Pick to Bet
I've hated this South Carolina team since the preseason.
However, at this price, it's finally time to buy low in a dream situational fade spot of Alabama, which just became the first SEC team to beat four consecutive ranked opponents.
The college football season is usually full of ebbs and flows for each team. They are kids, after all.
And I'd be impressed if we get Alabama's best effort after a quartet of all-out emotional wars against Vanderbilt, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee, with no bye week and a couple of revenge spots mixed in there.
While the Tide deserve a ton of credit for their recent winning streak filled with marquee wins, they easily could have lost one or two of those games with just one or two different bounces.
Just last week against Tennessee, they benefited from a 99-yard pick-six at the end of the half and two other red-zone stops. Against Vanderbilt, two red-zone turnovers did the 'Dores in. Georgia easily could have beaten the Tide if not for a wide-open drop. And Missouri had the ball late with a chance to tie or win in Columbia.
Impressive? Certainly, but there's no denying the Tide also benefited from some nice bounces and fourth-down variance over the past month. They didn't even outgain Tennessee or Missouri.
This isn't some unbeatable Alabama super team (especially in the trenches) of years past. This week, the Tide must get up for another game in Columbia for what becomes basically South Carolina's Super Bowl in the exact spot Alabama has struggled in for years against unranked foes.
I expect a maximum effort from the Gamecocks, who I'm sure have had this game circled after coming up two points short in Tuscaloosa last year in a game they should've won. That loss ultimately kept them out of the College Football Playoff.
South Carolina's defense is still playing at a pretty high level, even after losing a plethora of pro talent. The Gamecocks can still generate pressure, which has troubled the Alabama offense at times this season.
It does look like stud pass rusher Dylan Stewart (and others who left the Oklahoma game due to injury) are all practicing, which is a positive sign for Shane Beamer's bunch, which has been bit hard by the injury bug lately.
The primary problem for South Carolina this season has been the offense. It's been gruesome, in large part due to a dysfunctional offensive line.
However, unlike last week's matchup against Oklahoma (and even LSU and Missouri before that), the Tide don't feature a dominant front capable of generating elite-level pressure.
South Carolina still has one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country in LaNorris Sellers, who may actually have some time to make things happen this week.
Mobile quarterbacks have also given Alabama's defense fits in recent seasons, and there's a chance South Carolina can even have some semblance of a complementary ground game against a Tide defense that ranks outside the top 100 nationally in yards per rush allowed.
Before adjusting for the brutal situational spot, I only project South Carolina as a 10-point underdog, so this was an easy add to the card for a spot I had circled for weeks.
Keep in mind that both teams played Vanderbilt, but Sellers missed most of the game due to injury.
Don't be surprised if Alabama comes out flat in the first quarter, which is usually when they excel and build a margin under DeBoer.
Lastly, in what I believe profiles as a lower-scoring game, special teams could also help South Carolina stay close, as the Cocks do have a substantial edge over Alabama in that area.
And maybe a few bounces go their way against a Tide team that has certainly benefited from a few of those this season en route to a top-three turnover margin in the country (+9).
Pick: South Carolina +11.5 or Better
How To Watch Alabama vs South Carolina Live
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ABC
- Location: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
