We are going to side with the underdogs in this matchup for a couple of reasons. It’s no secret that North Carolina will have the best player on the field in QB Drake Maye. For those who are not familiar with Drake Maye, many NFL scouts believe he has a legitimate chance to challenge Caleb Williams as the top QB in the nation. This will be an interesting test for Drake Maye in a rivalry game, and against a secondary that has been flying under the radar. South Carolina brought back their top safety and top two corners from last season. North Carolina has an explosive offense, but they had one of the worst defenses in the nation on the other side of the ball. South Carolina’s offense was inconsistent last year, but it’s worth noting that they finished the season out with wins against #6 ranked Tennessee, and #13 ranked Clemson. The Gamecocks averaged 44 points in their final 3 games, all of which had far better defenses than North Carolina (Tennessee, Clemson, Notre Dame). The bookmakers do not seem willing to give a +3 on the home dogs. The line currently sits at a consensus of 2.5. Rather than being on the wrong side of a key number, we will opt for the (+118) price on the moneyline.

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