This game isn't getting as much attention as others, but it could end up being one of the most exciting games of the week. Both QBs are talented and experienced. Vandy's Diego Pavia is a senior and an ultra competitive dual-threat, while South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers is likely going to be an early first round pick when he enters the NFL Draft. In the end, I like South Carolina's roster as a whole a lot more here.
Vanderbilt hasn't beaten a ranked opponent on the road in forever, yet that hasn't stopped some Commodores from flapping their gums about this one. Hmm, Vandy guys trash talking and we aren't in the International Championship of A Cappella. South Carolina has been quite sluggish so far but has Mr. X-Factor Vicari Swain, who already has three punt return TDs. QB LaNorris Sellers has been average so far but tore up Vandy in 2024. Shane Beamer is too good of a coach to let his guys overlook the Dores.
The spread is so light in this game because South Carolina's offense has been sluggish through two games this season, while Vanderbilt crushed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, 44-20. Virginia Tech was up by 10 at halftime and got outscored 34-0 in the second half. But Columbia is a little different from Blacksburg, and the defense is different. The Gamecocks should take this spread as an insult. It's saying that on a neutral field, Vanderbilt would be favored over South Carolina. South Carolina will prove that to be false and find a way to win. South Carolina to cover.
Any reluctance to back Vandy here likely stems from last November vs. SC, when the Gamecocks were the only team to bully last year's Dores in bossing a 28-7 verdict at Nashville. To this point in 2025, however, Carolina hasn't looked quite the same, especially on offense, where QB LaNorris Sellers is not quite lighting the stage like last season, and the Gamecocks generating their key scores via the return game thru 2 weeks. Shane Beamer adding Mike Shula as the new OC is also coming under some question. Meanwhile, Vandy continues to punch above its weight as QB Diego Pavia is up to his old tricks, and this isn't a late-season meeting like last year, when Pavia was running near empty. Play Vandy
