South Carolina vs Arkansas Odds, Spread and Picks

• #16 Arkansas is a nine-point home favorite over South Carolina on Saturday
• This is the first SEC game of the season for both teams
• A look at the matchup and odds can be found below with a pick

In their first meeting since 2017, #16 Arkansas hosts South Carolina at 12 p.m. ET Saturday in an SEC game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Both teams opened their season with non-conference last Saturday. Arkansas beat #23 Cincinnati 31-24 and South Carolina downed Georgia State 35-14.

In a game that will be televised by ESPN, Arkansas is a nine-point favorite after opening as 8.5-point picks. The weather forecast is for mostly sunny, a high temperature of 87 degrees and northwest wind at 5 mph.

South Carolina vs Arkansas Odds

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Arkansas is a -375 favorite on the moneyline, giving it a 78.95% expected win probability in the college football odds. The Razorbacks are listed at +7333 in the SEC Championship odds and South Carolina is at +18333.

South Carolina Betting Outlook

Special teams are baked into South Carolina coach Shane Beamer’s DNA. He is the son of retired Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, famous for his teams winning games with Beamer Ball that included a heavy emphasis on special teams.

So, it should not have been completely surprising that the Gamecocks returned blocked punts for their last two touchdowns in their win over Georgia Southern.

DQ Smith with the scoop and SCORE! #Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/jdNFJoVYZa

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) September 4, 2022

DQ Smith had the first score on a 26-yard runback in the third quarter that put South Carolina ahead 28-14. With 11 ½ minutes left, Ahmarean Brown scored on a 10-yard return to seal the victory.

South Carolina, which trailed 14-12 in the third quarter, also got a boost in the kicking game. Mitch Jeter made field goals from 53 and 51 yards.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler, the highly touted transfer from Oklahoma, had a rather ordinary debut with the Gamecocks. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

MarShawn Lloyd scored a pair of TDs for South Carolina on a 1-yard run and 16-yard reception.

Feed MarShawn 🍽 pic.twitter.com/EY9GS8fsCs

— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) September 4, 2022

South Carolina’s offensive line had its struggles. The Gamecocks rushed for just 89 yards in 32 attempts and Rattler was sacked three times.

The defense allowed Georgia State to rush for 200 yards.

Arkansas Betting Outlook

Veteran quarterback KJ Jefferson led the way for Arkansas in its win over Cincinnati.

Jefferson, who has Heisman Trophy odds of +6000, threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-26 passing with no interceptions. He also rushed for 62 yards and a score on 18 carries.

Arkansas has now scored 30+ points in 10 of QB KJ Jefferson’s 16 career starts under center. pic.twitter.com/GEBKtCBSDT

— Razorback Communications (@RazorbackComms) September 3, 2022

Tight end Trey Knox was Jefferson’s favorite receiver with six catches for 75 yards and two TDs that covered 5 and 32 yards. Despite coming to Arkansas as a four-star recruit, Knox had just 55 receptions in his first three seasons.

The second touchdown was pivotal as it put the Razorbacks ahead 31-17 with 9:26 remaining.

Raheim Sanders carried 20 times for 117 yards and could create a problem for South Carolina’s shaky run defense.

Safety Jalen Catalon left the game in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury and did not return. He was a first-team selection on the All-SEC preseason team.

https://twitter.com/RobSoundsGood/status/1435322398006468611

Arkansas got instant production from two defensive transfers as Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech) and Drew Sanders (Alabama) each had a sack.

South Carolina vs Arkansas Prediction

South Carolina has won the last three meetings in the series, including 48-22 in the last game six years ago in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks, though, hold a 13-10 all-time lead over the Gamecocks.

Arkansas had the more impressive victory in Week 1. However, look for the ultra-talented Rattler to play much better now than he has a game under his belt at South Carolina.

Pick: South Carolina +9 (-110)