Alabama (4-1) looks to rebound from its shocking 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt when it hosts South Carolina (3-2) on Saturday.
Alabama is a 21.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 49.5. The game kicks off at 12 p.m. ET, and you can stream the game live on ABC.
Read on for our South Carolina vs Alabama predictions and college football picks for Saturday, October 12.
South Carolina vs Alabama Prediction: Odds, Spread, Over/Under
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+21.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | +1000 |
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-21.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | -2000 |
- South Carolina vs Alabama Spread: Alabama -21.5
- South Carolina vs Alabama Over/Under: 50.5 Points
- South Carolina vs Alabama Moneyline: South Carolina ML +1000 · Alabama ML -2000
South Carolina vs Alabama Picks, Prediction
My Alabama vs South Carolina best bet is on the over, with the best line available at bet365 Sportsbook.
- South Carolina vs Alabama Pick: Over 50.5
Game Preview: South Carolina Gamecocks at Bryant Denny Stadium
The South Carolina Gamecocks lost their second game last weekend at home to Ole Miss, 27-3, dropping to 3-2. The Gamecocks are in a tough stretch of their schedule because after they play Alabama, they have Oklahoma and Texas A&M on deck, which makes it four straight games against ranked opponents.
In the new 12-team playoff format, Alabama can endure an upset loss like the one it experienced against Vanderbilt last Saturday.
However, it means it must be perfect for the remainder of the season. The defense has let it down the past two games and will need to step up if the Tide want to cover this large spread.
Spread
PASS
Moneyline
PASS
Over/Under
My South Carolina vs Alabama Pick is on the Over 50.5.
Prediction
My South Carolina vs Alabama Prediction is on the Over 50.5
South Carolina Football vs Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview
South Carolina Gamecocks Betting Preview: Stopping Bama's Talented Lineup is Key
LaNorris Sellers is very limited as a passer. Last week was a perfect example of how the offense will struggle when he is forced to throw the ball at a high rate.
He attempted 33 passes against Ole Miss and only accumulated 162 yards passing. He only has a 51.4 PFF passing grade for the season with three big-time throws and seven turnover-worthy plays.
For South Carolina to be successful on offense, they have to be able to run the football. Beamer snagged Rahiem Sanders from Arkansas in the portal, who dealt with some injuries last season. He's been decent running the ball so far this season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and despite what the numbers show, he has an excellent offensive line in front of him.
Sellers is also a dangerous runner, which will be big against Alabama because they've struggled so far against mobile quarterbacks. They were able to hold Pavia in check, but he's not the type of runner Sellers is. A better example would be Byrum Brown from USF, who torched Alabama for 108 yards on the ground.
South Carolina had many guys coming back on the defensive side of the ball from last year, but it hasn't done a great job stopping the run. The Gamecocks rank 78th nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed and are getting beat up front, ranking 76th in Defensive Line Yards and 102nd in Stuff Rate.
Even though Alabama hasn't run the ball very successfully this season, it still has enough talent to take over this game.
Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview: Offense Should Move Seamlessly
What happened in Nashville last weekend was shocking, and the defense cost Alabama the game.
Diego Pavia had one of his best passing games this year and lit up the Alabama secondary, similar to how Carson Beck did the week prior. The main problem is not only giving up big plays in the passing game, but Alabama is also only 39th in Rush Explosiveness allowed, which is a big problem against South Carolina.
The Crimson Tide also struggled to get Vanderbilt off the field on third down. The Commodores went 12-for-18 on third down, which has been a problem for them this year.
Power Success Rate measures the percentage of running plays on third or fourth down from two yards or less in which an offense either converted into a first down or scored a touchdown. Alabama ranks 50th nationally in Power Success Rate allowed, which is concerning against South Carolina, which ranks 21st in Power Success Rate.
The Alabama offense should be able to move the ball successfully in this game, and it will start with the ground game to open up the passing game.
The Tide averaged just four yards per carry against Vanderbilt, but they need to get the ball to Jam Miller more often. Miller averages 8.2 yards per carry on the season and will be a big key in this game.
This will be one of the better secondaries Jalen Milroe has faced this year, but he's been lights out all season. Even last weekend against Vanderbilt, he posted a 90.9 PFF passing grade with three big-time throws.
Overall for the season, Milroe is averaging 11.6 yards per attempt with an 82.7% adjusted completion percentage, which is absurd. He should have no trouble on Saturday.
Alabama vs South Carolina Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Alabama and South Carolina match up statistically:
South Carolina Offense vs. Alabama Defense
 | Offense |  Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 91 | 24 | |
| Line Yards | 83 | 25 | |
| Pass Success | 116 | 49 | |
| Havoc | 130 | 18 | |
| Finishing Drives | 99 | 31 | |
| Quality Drives | 112 | 23 | |
Alabama Offense vs. South Carolina Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 85 | 78 | |
| Line Yards | 92 | 76 | |
| Pass Success | 4 | 9 | |
| Havoc | 83 | 15 | |
| Finishing Drives | 5 | 60 | |
| Quality Drives | 53 | 36 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 92 | 31 |
| PFF Coverage | 12 | 16 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 50 | 91 |
| Middle 8 | 126 | 1 |
| Seconds per Play | 27.6 (73) | 27.7 (74) |
| Rush Rate | 66% (18) | 59% (41) |
How to Make College Football Picks For My South Carolina vs Alabama Prediction
The real question for South Carolina is how it will stop Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams.
He is a big play waiting to happen, averaging 28.6 yards per catch with six touchdowns this season. South Carolina's corners have PFF Coverage grades of 75.2 and 80.1, but both allow well over ten yards per catch and have a combined seven missed tackles this season.
For South Carolina to succeed in this game, it has to move the ball on the ground, and I think it can do that. Alabama has been prone to giving up big plays on the ground, and Sellers could have a lot of success with his legs, similar to how Byrum Brown did against the Crimson Tide earlier this season.
The pace isn't going to be incredibly slow either, even with both teams running the ball at a pretty high rate. Alabama hasn't had much success on the ground, but it should be able to dominate up front and get Miller free for some big plays.
I think the total is too low. I have 57.9 points projected for this game, and Alabama overs are 4-1 under Coach DeBoer.
Pick: Over 50.5 (-115, bet365)
South Carolina vs Alabama Start Time, TV Channel, How to Watch
| Location: | Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 12 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ABC |
South Carolina vs Alabama will be played at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 12 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ABC.
Alabama vs South Carolina Betting Trends
Alabama vs South Carolina Weather
