The Tennessee Volunteers’ undefeated season came to a screeching halt two weeks ago, and it’s been a bumpy patch since. Luckily, the schedule eases up in Week 9, even on the road, as Tennessee will be favored against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Tennessee has dropped its past two games after winning five in a row to begin the season, including a 39-point stomping at the hands of top-ranked Alabama last time out. South Carolina will aim to hang around on the strength of its defense but it could be tough to pull the upset.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 9 game is set for Saturday, October 29, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tennessee -12.5
South Carolina +12.5
Over/Under 51
Odds Analysis
Even though South Carolina has shown the ability to remain close in contests, the betting public is backing Tennessee to cover the spread. More than 80 percent of the early action has gone the Volunteers’ way as they aim to pull away on the road.
The scoring total is lower than most games and still may be a tough high, as 75 percent of the action has taken the “under’ early on.
Tennessee has covered in three of its seven games this season, and is 3-2 against the spread as the favorite. South Carolina is 3-4 straight up but just 1-6 against the spread. The Gamecocks have only covered one time in four tries at home, and is also 1-3 against the spread as an underdog.
Letdown Situation
Tennessee is coming off a four-game stretch in which it played nationally ranked teams each step of the way. The Volunteers won the first two against Florida and Georgia to vault into the top-10, but then suffered a reality check.
Tennessee lost to Texas A&M in double overtime before getting throttled by Alabama, which has pushed it down to No. 18 in the polls. A win would help the Volunteers edge their way back up, and they are still alive in the SEC East race, but it would be natural to suffer a letdown after so many huge games.
The Volunteers are big enough favorites that it seems likely they still win this game, but when it comes to the spread, any lack of motivation could result in a lot of money changing hands.
Injury Report
Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara will miss Saturday’s game against South Carolina. He suffered a knee injury in the loss to Alabama and will miss a couple of weeks, according to coach Butch Jones.
Kamara’s loss could be significant, as he has 64 carries for 313 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Jalen Hurd leads Tennessee in rushing, but with 435 yards on 114 carries, he is averaging a low 3.8 yards per carry.
If the Volunteers want to pull away in this one, they will need to get the running game going. South Carolina is only allowing 183.6 yards per game through the air, as the pass defense is one of the best units on the team.
Free ATS Pick
It seems clear that Tennessee was living on borrowed time in the top-10, and it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Alabama handle the Volunteers. Tennessee is still in line for a pretty prestigious bowl game if it can get back on track, and it starts with this game.
South Carolina is under .500 because of a poor offense, but its defense has kept the team in games. Since this is a home game for the Gamecocks and Tennessee doesn’t have a dominant group, expect the spread to be covered by South Carolina.
This one might be uncomfortable throughout, but Tennessee should eventually grab a hard-fought win. Take the “under” even with the low scoring total.
College Football Odds: Tennessee 27, South Carolina 18
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