South Carolina vs. South Carolina State odds, line: Gamecocks expert reveals pick for Thursday's matchup

Mike Tierney, who is 14-1 on his last 15 picks involving South Carolina, has released his pick for Thursday's game between the Gamecocks and the South Carolina State Bulldogs

SportsLine Staff

The South Carolina Gamecocks (2-2) host the South Carolina State Bulldogs (1-2) on Thursday, two days earlier than originally scheduled due to the threat of Hurricane Ian. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks are 39.5-point favorites in the latest South Carolina vs. South Carolina State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 57.

Before you make any South Carolina State vs. South Carolina picks or predictions on Thursday, you NEED to see what SportsLine college football expert Mike Tierney has to say.

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered college football of all levels for decades. Mike does not consider himself a pet lover, but he likes 'dogs, preferring to evaluate each game from the underdog's point of view. He has emerged as one of SportsLine's leading analysts in all sports and is 13-10 on his last 23 against-the-spread college football picks

What's more, he has a keen sense for the trajectory of the Gamecocks. He is 14-1 in his last 15 picks involving South Carolina, returning almost $1,300 to $100 bettors.

Tierney knows South Carolina has handily won each of the two previous meetings between the schools, both of which were at home. After rolling to a 38-3 triumph in 2007, the Gamecocks posted a 38-14 victory two years later. South Carolina is seeking its second consecutive comfortable win as it cruised past Charlotte 56-20 last Saturday behind the rushing of MarShawn Lloyd, who made 15 carries for 169 yards and three touchdowns.

He also knows South Carolina State is concluding its season-opening four-game road trip after suffering a 41-27 loss at North Carolina A&T last weekend. Corey Fields had a season-high 316 passing yards and made touchdown tosses to four different receivers in the setback. The senior quarterback's favorite target was junior wideout Shaquan Davis, who hauled in six passes for 127 yards and a score, giving him a TD catch in each of his first three games of the season.

Now, Tierney has set his sights on South Carolina vs. South Carolina State. We can tell you he is leaning Over the total, and he also has found a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what he has to say before locking in any college football picks of your own.

So who wins South Carolina vs. South Carolina State? And what crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the South Carolina State vs. South Carolina spread you should be all over on Thursday, all from the expert who's on a 14-1 run on picks involving the Gamecocks!