Saturday Selections: Week 5 SEC Picks Against the Spread

Sep 20, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri at #13 South Carolina (-6), 6:00pm CT, ESPN

So, remember all that talk in last week’s SEC picks against the spread about how much the 2014 Missouri Tigers resembled the 2013 SEC East Championship squad? That blew up pretty quickly with a home loss to an Indiana team that isn’t expected to have a winning record in the Big Ten.

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South Carolina was also riding high following a big win against Georgia, but couldn’t shake Vanderbilt until late in the fourth quarter in Nashville. The Gamecocks have now won three in a row since their Week 1 letdown against Texas A&M, and though the defense hasn’t gotten much better (though it is important to note that 14 of Vanderbilt’s 34 points last week came on special teams), the offense has been playing very well of late.

Missouri’s defense, which had been stellar early in the season, struggled to manage Indiana’s balanced attack and IU racked nearly 500 yards of total offense in the 31-27 win. The Gamecocks have much more talent than the Hoosiers on offense, which should suit them well Saturday.

College GameDay will be in Columbia for this one, and with an evening kickoff, the crowd should be loud. South Carolina will use that raucous crowd to pull away late.

South Carolina 38, Missouri 28