Greg McElroy predicts Oklahoma to win, South Carolina to cover

Oklahoma and South Carolina are both in need of a win after each taking losses last week, specifically the Gamecocks having lost three of four in conference play. They’ll try to get that victory against one another now when they kick off in Columbia on Saturday afternoon.

Greg McElroy, on ‘Always College Football,’ selected several games on this schedule for Week 8. His picks included No. 14 Oklahoma vs. South Carolina, with the Sooners and Gamecocks not just in a similar spot but being similar teams as well in his analysis.

“Oklahoma is reeling a bit, lost last week to the Texas Longhorns,” said McElroy. “Williams-Brice is not necessarily a great place for a get-right recipe, because South Carolina’s back is against the wall. They’re 1-3 in the SEC, 3-3 overall. South Carolina has got to get things going, and get things going quickly.”

“There’s a lot of similarities between these two teams,” McElroy added. “Both have excellent defensive personnel. The strength of the team might be the defensive front for both teams. And their offense’s success depends almost exclusively on their quarterback playing at an outrageously high level.”

As for his breakdown, McElroy said there just needs to be a response when it comes to OU. That’s with the Sooners not looking well on either side of the ball in their first loss of the season last weekend at Red River.

“Can Oklahoma’s defense respond? It wasn’t their fault that they lost to the Texas Longhorns…but this was a team that was one of the top defenses in the country coming in, and they gave up 16 points,” McElroy said. “Through six games, statistically, they’re still one of the best in the sport. They have allowed less than double-digit points per game. They’re fourth in total defense…Texas did a good job of staying manageable third-down situations, and, as a result, they converted 10-17, and they dominated time of possession…Brent Venables, the defensive playcaller? He’s going to have to decide, do they want to be aggressive, or do they need to be maybe a little more conservative to account for (LaNorris) Sellers getting out and breaking contain?”

South Carolina has since made a change on the offensive line. But the Gamecocks will need to play better on the field regardless, with Oklahoma per game averaging 3.7 sacks and 10.3 TFLs.

“Can South Carolina get anything going offensively? One issue for South Carolina has been their offensive line. This unit has been hurt by injuries. They’ve underperformed. And, right now, it’s very tough to manufacture a lot if you’re offensive line is not solved. They’ve given up a bunch of sacks. They have not created a ton of consistent run lanes,” McElroy said. “There were signs of progress last week, though, and, if things start to move in the direction where I think they could go for South Carolina if they stay really committed to the run game, they might be in a pretty good spot. But, blocking this Oklahoma defensive line will be a huge problem.”

With the state of both offenses right now, McElroy is taking the points for a cover at home by South Carolina, as well as an under in this matchup in the SEC. However, as for a winner, Oklahoma was his pick to take it at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“I’ll take Oklahoma in a bounce back here, but it does not feel good laying the points on the road. I’ll take the points,” McElroy said. “I also think this is going to be a game that’s way under the total, so I don’t see either offense having a ton of success in this matchup.”

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