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The South Carolina Gamecocks seek their second straight dominant victory when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Thursday in a contest rescheduled from Saturday due to the threat of Hurricane Ian. South Carolina (2-2) cruised past Charlotte 56-20 at home last weekend after suffering back-to-back losses against a pair of ranked opponents in Arkansas and Georgia. The Gamecocks had little trouble in their first two meetings with the Bulldogs, winning both by a combined 76-17 score. South Carolina State (1-2) is coming off a 41-27 loss at North Carolina A&T last Saturday.

Kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Gamecocks are 39.5-point favorites in the latest South Carolina vs. South Carolina State odds from Caesars, while the over/under for total points scored is 57. Before making any South Carolina State vs. South Carolina picks or college football predictions, you need to see what SportsLine college football expert Mike Tierney has to say.

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has converted college football of all levels for decades. He has emerged as one of SportsLine's leading analysts in all sports and is 13-10 on his last 23 against-the-spread college football picks.

What's more, he has a keen sense for the trajectory of the Gamecocks. He is 14-1 in his last 15 picks involving South Carolina, returning almost $1,300 to $100 bettors.

Now, the Tierney has set his sights on South Carolina vs. South Carolina State and just locked in his picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for South Carolina State vs. South Carolina:

  • South Carolina vs. South Carolina State spread: Gamecocks -39.5
  • South Carolina vs. South Carolina State over/under: 57 points
  • SC: The Gamecocks haven't posted back-to-back wins since starting 2021 with a 2-0 record
  • SCS: The Bulldogs have allowed 106 points in their first three games this season
  • South Carolina vs. South Carolina State picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why South Carolina can cover

The Gamecocks' offense could not be stopped last week as it produced points on each of its first eight possessions and nine of 11 overall. The team racked up 545 yards of total offense and was especially effective on the ground, rushing for 295 yards and six touchdowns -- its most against a Division I opponent since recording six versus UAB on Sept. 20, 2003. South Carolina has 10 rushing TDs already in 2022 after registering the same amount in 13 games last season.

MarShawn Lloyd was almost unstoppable against Charlotte, carrying 15 times for 169 yards and three scores -- all career highs. The sophomore amassed only 75 yards on 27 attempts in the Gamecocks' first three games this season. Senior Christian Beal-Smith also was a factor on the ground in his second game with South Carolina, rushing for 55 yards and a pair of TDs for his first multi-touchdown performance since scoring twice for Wake Forest against Old Dominion on Sept. 3, 2021.

Why South Carolina State can cover 

The Bulldogs are hoping Kendrell Flowers (undisclosed), who did not have a carry on Saturday, can ignite a ground attack that produced only 12 yards against the Aggies. The sophomore averaged 6.5 yards per carry over South Carolina State's first three games of the season and gained 153 on 16 attempts versus Bethune-Cookman. Dating back to 2021, Flowers has rushed for more than 120 yards in four of the last six regular-season contests in which he's had a carry.

The lack of success running the ball last week forced Corey Fields to move it through the air, and the senior quarterback did a solid job. Field recorded 316 passing yards and threw touchdowns to four different receivers against North Carolina A&T, marking the second time in four outings he made four TD tosses dating back to last year's Celebration Bowl. One of the scoring passes went to junior wideout Shaquan Davis, who finished with 127 receiving yards as he extended his streak to five straight games with a touchdown catch.

How to make South Carolina State vs. South Carolina picks

Tierney has analyzed this matchup, and while we can tell you he's leaning Over on the point total, he also has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

So who wins South Carolina vs. South Carolina State? And what crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the South Carolina State vs. South Carolina spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the expert that has crushed his college football picks, and find out.