South Carolina at NC State

Written by Jack Jones

Steve Merril is one of our most decorated and consistent handicappers. Today he offers his expert college football betting advice on the South Carolina/NC State game. The latest NCAA football lines list NC State as a 5 point favorite. Here’s a look at Steve’s analysis and recommended wager on the game.

The Wolfpack and Gamecocks open up the college football season on Thursday night as NC State looks for revenge for last year’s 34-0 pasting. These are two completely different teams now as NC State struggled last year without first-team all ACC quarterback Russell Wilson who left the middle of last year’s game with a concussion. Wilson had an incredible 17/1 TD/INT ratio last year, while the other quarterbacks had a negative 3/12 ratio. This year if Wilson goes down, the depth at the QB position is better with heralded redshirt freshman Mike Glennon backing him up. The offense will also benefit from the return of Owen Spencer and Jarvis Williams at the wideout position. The Wolfpack finished strong down the stretch of the season, going 4-0 SU in their final four regular season games, outscoring those opponents 127-72 and winning by an average margin of +13.8 points per game. The Pack returns 14 starters, including 7 on defense, with a stout front line with three returning starters led by Alan Michael Cash. The Wolfpack is also 9-2 in home openers.

South Carolina limped to the end of their season last year going 0-3 SU/ATS in their final three games, losing by a total of 88 points. The Gamecocks return just 11 starters, including five on offense and their quarterback position is held down by Stephen Garcia who rotated in and out of the lineup last year. Three of the five returning starters on offense are on the O-Line, so the skill positions are young and inexperienced. Defensively, the Gamecocks will depend on a solid linebacking corps led by Eric Norwood and Rodney Paulk, but overall they lost four of their top seven tacklers from last year. The Gamecocks were just 2-4 on the road last season, including a 31-10 loss in the Outback Bowl, and they scored only 6, 14, and 10 points in those final three road games.

Play NC STATE (-).

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