Pinnacle +27½ -105 Bet365 +27½ -110SportsInteraction+27½ -110 5DIMES +27½ -110 888Sport +27½ -114

Posted at 10:30 AM EST. 

SOUTH CAROLINA +27½ -105 over Clemson

Williams-Brice Stadium – Columbia, SC

12:00 PM EST. We have yet to see any kind of true chaos in the upper-half of the College Football Playoff rankings with all top-five teams more or less holding serve for several weeks. However, rivalry weekend is an emotional rollercoaster that has historically impacted the BCS (now extinct) and now the College Football Playoff race. With respect to this narrative, we try to find potential areas where mayhem could breakout. Ohio State and Michigan is an obvious spot but the “Palmetto Bowl” could create similar mischief while remaining hidden in plain sight given the fact the two games will be played at the same time (Noon kick-off).

To begin, the defending national champions, the Clemson Tigers have looked pretty much infallible this season, as they have marched through everything they have come across with the exception of an early-season scare in Chapel Hill against the pesky Tar Heels of UNC. A failed two-point conversion by North Carolina allowed the Tigers to escape unscathed and had the upset been orchestrated successfully perhaps this contest would have had an entirely different connotation. For what it’s worth, South Carolina led North Carolina by double digits in its season opener and succumbed to the same late-stage heroics UNC tried to pull off against Clemson. Nevertheless, Clemson’s overall body of work has been impressive, which includes its 8-3 mark ATS, despite being subjected to paying a premium to get behind them. To those that have flicked their dollars around thanks to the Tigers dominance, we assure you that every week you get on-board with the champs, you are playing them at a bad number and it is only a matter of time before it catches up to Clemson. This contest is a situation where such an event can take place.

Like Colorado State hosting Boise State yesterday, the Gamecocks cannot make a bowl game. However, that doesn’t mean this game doesn’t mean anything to Cocky. South Carolina could arguably be one of the best teams in history to not make a bowl given who they had to play this season, including Alabama, Texas A&M on the road, Florida, Appalachian State, and then of course there was their trip to Athens, Georgia against the then-ranked #3 Bulldogs where USC managed to pull off a stunning upset of the Dawgs despite opening as much as a 25½-point underdog at some books. When the Tigers were nearly upended by UNC, the Heels were a 27½-point pooch. This rivalry feud will serve as South Carolina’s de-facto bowl game.

As a whole, the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry has been one of streaks in recent history. In the last 10 meetings, USC won the first five and Clemson has dominated the back five since. To anyone that thinks Carolina will roll over and play dead, we say, “Think again”. Columbia will be electric in what will be a College Football Playoff environment and USC will come in with a bit of swagger knowing it has played, competed, and even won against some of the college football elites. This game will in fact be the toughest test for a Clemson team that has more or less feasted on cupcakes this entire season. The question remains --are the Tigers four converted TD’s better than South Carolina in South Carolina? Working with massively inflated points, we’re more than willing to ante up to find out.

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