South Carolina Gamecocks vs Mississippi Rebels Picks and Predictions October 5th 2024

ESPN will be covering this week six matchup between the Ole Miss Rebels and South Carolina Gamecocks, set to kick off at 3:30 ET from Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. Ole Miss is 4-1 on the season, and South Carolina comes in with a 3-1 record. The Rebels are the -9.5-point favorites on the road, and the over/under line is currently at 52.5 points.

Ole Miss vs. South Carolina Key Information

The Rebels Can Win If…

Ole Miss enters Week 6 with a 4-1 record, ranked 6th in our power rankings. They have a 99.8% chance of becoming bowl-eligible and a 5.1% chance of winning the Southeastern. The Rebels also have the 10th best odds to make the CFB playoff at 41.0%.

Ole Miss is 2-1 on the road and 1-0 at home this season. They’ve been favored in four of their five games, going 3-1 as the favorite. Their average scoring margin is +39, and they are 3-1 against the spread.

Their over/under record is 0-4, with an average line of 62 points. This week’s line is 52.5, and their games have averaged 55.8 points per contest.

Ole Miss heads into week 6 with the 6th highest scoring offense in college football, averaging 47.4 points per game. They are ranked 11th in our offensive power rankings. Their passing attack is the focal point, as they are 2nd in passing yards per game, averaging 390.4 yards, and 10th in completions. They have converted 47.2% of their third-down attempts.

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Jaxson Dart leads the Rebels’ passing game with 1,815 yards and a passer rating of 142. He has completed 77.4% of his passes, throwing 13 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. On the ground, Ole Miss averages 217.6 rushing yards per game. Henry Parrish Jr. has rushed for 489 yards, averaging 7 yards per carry, and has scored 8 touchdowns. Tre Harris leads the receiving corps with 804 yards and 5 touchdowns on 49 catches.

Despite their recent 20-17 loss to Kentucky, Ole Miss’s defense allowed just 20 points, continuing their strong season performance. They limited Kentucky to 101 rushing yards on 44 attempts but gave up 243 passing yards. Overall, the defense allowed 344 total yards and forced no turnovers in the game.

Ole Miss ranks second nationally in rushing yards allowed, giving up just 51.2 yards per game. They are also fifth in the country in points allowed, averaging 8.4 points per game. Opposing quarterbacks have a 74.8 passer rating and have completed 62.5% of their passes, averaging 212.2 passing yards per game against the Rebels.

South Carolina enters Week 6 against Ole Miss with a 3-1 record. They are ranked 25th in our power rankings and have a 77.2% chance of becoming bowl-eligible. However, their odds of winning the Southeastern are just 0.1%.

The Gamecocks are 2-0 as favorites and 1-1 as underdogs this season, with a +17.2 average scoring margin. Against the spread, they are 3-1, going 1-1 as favorites and 2-0 as underdogs.

South Carolina’s over/under record is 2-2, with their games averaging 51.2 points. This week’s line is set at 52.5, higher than their average line of 45.2 points.

South Carolina’s offense has leaned heavily on their run game, averaging 198 rushing yards per game on 44.5 attempts, ranking 24th in rushing attempts nationally. Raheim Sanders leads the team with 286 rushing yards, four touchdowns, and an average of 5 yards per carry. Overall, the Gamecocks are scoring 34.2 points per game, placing them 33rd in the country.

Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has thrown for 393 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 75. South Carolina ranks 109th in passing yards per game. Mazeo Bennett Jr. leads the receiving corps with 159 yards and two touchdowns. The Gamecocks have struggled on third downs, converting just 29.6% of their attempts.

South Carolina’s defense has been strong this season, allowing just 17 points per game, which ranks 18th nationally. They’ve given up 118.5 rushing yards per game and 160.8 passing yards, with quarterbacks managing a 51.6% completion rate and a passer rating of 52.8, the ninth-lowest in the country.

In their last game against Akron, South Carolina’s defense allowed only 7 points and 180 total yards. Akron rushed 19 times for -16 yards, while completing 25 of 38 passes for 196 yards. South Carolina’s defense also forced two interceptions in the game.

South Carolina is the +9.5 point underdog at home in their week six matchup against Ole Miss. We have South Carolina winning straight-up, with a projected final score of 31-29. With this projection, we recommend taking South Carolina to cover the spread.

For the over/under, with the line set at 52.5 points, our projection of 60 combined points suggests taking the over.

Coming off Rough Loss, No. 12 Ole Miss Not Overlooking Resurgent South Carolina

An early-season stumble has put No. 12 Ole Miss in a tough position as they head into Week 6 of the season. After losing their Southeastern Conference opener, the Rebels now face a resurgent South Carolina team on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.

Ole Miss Faces High Stakes in SEC Play

The Rebels (4-1, 0-1 SEC) enter this weekend’s matchup knowing that another loss in SEC play could severely dent their postseason hopes. With a nonconference schedule that included only one Power Four opponent (Wake Forest), Ole Miss needs to regroup quickly to avoid falling to 0-2 in the SEC.

Last Saturday’s loss to Kentucky at home was a major setback. Despite entering as favorites, Ole Miss struggled to control the pace of the game, with the Wildcats dominating time of possession, 39:43 to 20:17. The Rebels’ defense had difficulty getting off the field, which allowed Kentucky to control the tempo.

Breakdown of Kentucky Loss: Missed Opportunities

Ole Miss had chances to win last week, but a fourth-quarter breakdown proved costly. Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff connected with Barion Brown on a 63-yard pass on fourth-and-7, setting up the Wildcats’ game-winning touchdown.

To make matters worse, a fluke touchdown on a Kentucky fumble and a missed 48-yard field goal by Caden Davis in the final minute sealed the Rebels’ 20-17 loss. It marked Ole Miss’ first home defeat to Kentucky since 1978.

Despite the setback, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin remains focused on preparing for South Carolina, a team that presents a different set of challenges.

“Kentucky and South Carolina are built very differently,” Kiffin said. “Kentucky keeps things in front with really big bodies, while South Carolina is built on speed and twitch. Both styles present unique problems.”

South Carolina Eyes LaNorris Sellers’ Return

South Carolina (3-1, 1-1 SEC) is coming off a strong 50-7 win over Akron, and the Gamecocks could see the return of quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury. Sellers, a redshirt freshman, had a breakout performance against then-No. 16 LSU, where he rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard TD run—the longest by a quarterback in school history.

However, Sellers left the LSU game in the second quarter, and the Tigers capitalized, outscoring South Carolina 20-9 in the second half. Backup quarterback Robby Ashford stepped in during the Akron game, delivering a three-touchdown performance that helped the Gamecocks secure a comfortable win.

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Both Sellers and star running back Raheim Sanders are expected to return to action on Saturday, giving South Carolina a boost against the Rebels.

Ole Miss Defense Faces Dual Threat from Gamecocks

Kiffin is well aware of the challenge South Carolina’s offense poses. Sellers’ dual-threat ability, combined with Ashford’s versatility, means Ole Miss’ defense will need to be on high alert.

“These guys have good weapons and present a challenge with the ability to escape,” Kiffin said of the Gamecocks’ quarterbacks. “Robby is an elite runner and the issues that come with that. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Ashford proved to be a game-changer against Akron, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 133 yards and another score.

Series History and Outlook

Ole Miss leads the all-time series with South Carolina 9-8. The Rebels won the most recent meeting in 2020, a high-scoring affair that ended 59-42 in favor of Ole Miss.

As the Rebels look to bounce back from last week’s disappointment, they’ll need to sharpen their game on both sides of the ball. With South Carolina’s offense regaining key players and momentum, the stage is set for an exciting SEC showdown.