North Carolina State and South Carolina kick off their college football seasons this Thursday night, August 28th. The Wolfpack will travel to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina to take on Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks at 8:00pm ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. College football pick odds at Sportsbook.com have South Carolina as a -13.5 home favorite.
This year will be Spurrier's fourth season as the head man at South Carolina and, so far, the results are somewhat mixed. The Gamecocks have made two bowl appearances, going 1-1 under the former Florida coach, and they have amassed a 21-16 record. This season Spurrier may have his best squad yet and he has transitioned the program to suite his style of play. However, he will have a difficult road to travel through the SEC East with both Georgia and Florida ranked in the top five.
Head Coach Tom O'Brien is entering his second season at NC State after taking over for Chuck Amato last year. O'Brien's squad posted a 5-7 record in his first season and the team did not exactly look like a well oiled machine. The Wolfpack ranked 10th in the ACC in points per game at 20.8 and 11th in points per game allowed at 28.3. This year's team returns only six starters on defense and four starters on offense.
The matchup to watch in this game could be the Gamecocks ground game against the Wolfpack's rush defense. South Carolina is a pass first team and they averaged just 114 yards rushing per game in 2007 for a 3.6 yard per carry average. They do have some quality backs however, and the numbers were more of a reflection of an inconsistent offensive line. The Wolfpack are replacing a number of players upfront defensively, including all three starting linebackers from last year.
Sportsbook.com's line for the Wolfpack vs Gamecocks:
NC State +13.5 (-110), Over 45 (-110)
South Carolina -13.5 (-110), Under 45 (-110)
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