The South Carolina Gamecocks have followed a pretty simple pattern this season. In games against ranked opponents, they have yet to come away with a victory. However, in contests against unranked opponents, they are undefeated. South Carolina hopes the trend will remain this way the whole year by capping the Belk Bowl with a victory over the Virginia Cavaliers.
Virginia has lost three of its past four games but two came in overtime. The Cavaliers want to end the season on a positive note in this neutral site affair. The Cavaliers and Gamecocks have identical 7-5 records on the season but South Carolina has been instituted as the solid favorite in this showdown in NCAA football betting.
The Belk Bowl game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Virginia Cavaliers will be held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 29th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.
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Odds Analysis
South Carolina is listed as the 6-point favorite to pick up this bowl game victory. The Gamecocks are -235 on the moneyline while Virginia is the +195 underdog. The scoring total is listed at 53.5 points as the oddsmakers believe both defenses will be able to hang in enough to keep this one from becoming a high-scoring back-and-forth affair in NCAA football betting.
Key Stat
5. That’s the number of losses to ranked teams South Carolina suffered in the regular season as it faced a grueling schedule. The Gamecocks fell to No. 3 Georgia by a score of 41-17, to No. 17 Kentucky on the road, 24-10, to No. 22 Texas A&M by a field goal at home, to No. 15 Florida by only four points on the road and then got stomped by No. 2 Clemson, 56-35, to round out the ranked opponent portion of the schedule.
Even though South Carolina doesn’t have an impressive win-loss record, this caveat must be in place. The Gamecocks were competitive in some of the contests, which is why the oddsmakers are showing them respect in this matchup against the unranked Cavaliers.
Player To Watch
Bryce Perkins Virginia is the clear underdog but may have a shot at the upset if it can get a big performance out of its junior quarterback. Perkins is big and fast enough that there were questions about whether or not he would change positions after missing out on the QB job at Arizona State, but he transferred to Virginia to remain as a signal-caller.
Perkins has proven that the decision was a good one, throwing for 2,472 yards with 22 touchdowns on the season against nine interceptions. He is also a big-time rushing threat, surpassing 100 ground yards in four games this season. South Carolina will have to account for Perkins consistently in this one.
Free NCAA Football ATS Picks
Virginia might not get a lot of respect nationally but this is a pretty good team. Perkins is a handful to keep under wraps. If he can throw the ball consistently and keep South Carolina on its heels, an upset could be in the works.
The Gamecocks’ streak of beating every unranked opponent this year will come to an end in the Belk Bowl. Virginia is a great choice as the underdog to not just cover the spread but to pull off the upset in NCAA football gambling. The “under” is the pick on the scoring total.
NCAA Football Odds: Virginia Cavaliers 27, South Carolina Gamecocks 24
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