Gator Bowl national media predictions: No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina

The BlueandGold.com staff has made its picks for No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) against No. 19 South Carolina (8-4) in Friday’s Gator Bowl (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Here’s a roundup of some of the national media projections and picks for the game. The Irish are a 2.5-point favorite over the Gamecocks.

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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN: South Carolina 27, Notre Dame 25

Rittenberg says: “This feels like a fairly big game for Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who lost his debut in the Fiesta Bowl last year…South Carolina comes in hot after wins over Tennessee and Clemson, and both squads excel on special teams. It’s hard to pick against Shane Beamer’s crew right now, and they win on a field goal.”

Bill Bender, Sporting News: South Carolina 34, Notre Dame 31

Bender says: “[Quarterback] Drew Pyne is out, and Tyler Buchner is back at quarterback for the Irish. Notre Dame is catching a South Carolina team that caught fire at the end of the season. Quarterback Spencer Rattler plans on playing in the bowl game, and that security at the most-important position gives the Gamecocks an edge. South Carolina has covered in four of their last five games as an underdog.”

Pat Forde: South Carolina 27, Notre Dame 24

Forde says: “There are opt-outs and transfers and coaching changes aplenty. The Fighting Irish are down two potential first-round draft picks (tight end Michael Mayer and defensive end Isaiah Foskey) and the quarterback who started 10 games (Drew Pyne). The Gamecocks are without their offensive coordinator (Marcus Satterfield), two tight ends (Austin Stogner and Jaheim Bell), leading rusher (MarShawn Lloyd) and a stud defensive lineman (Zacch Pickens).

“If anyone says they know what this game is going to look like, they’re lying. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer had his team playing extremely well at the end of the year, upsetting Tennessee and Clemson in succession, and he’s 1–0 as a bowl coach after beating North Carolina last year.”

Adam Burke, VSiN: South Carolina +2.5

Burke says: “Notre Dame is still holding on as a favorite against South Carolina for the Gator Bowl, but there are a lot of reasons to be worried about the upcoming performance from the Fighting Irish. Tyler Buchner suffered an AC sprain earlier this season and he is in line to start after Drew Pyne hit the transfer portal. Buchner had 50 pass attempts in his two games and Notre Dame looked uncomfortable allowing him to drop back and pass in the season-opening loss to Ohio State.

“Buchner was also the QB in the 26-21 loss to Marshall the following week. As the season went along, Notre Dame became much more potent with the running game, but Pyne completed nearly 65% of his passes with a 22/6 TD/INT ratio to keep defenses honest. The passing threat is also diminished with the opt out of Michael Mayer, who had more than twice as many catches as any other receiver and 2.5 times as many yards.

“The Gamecocks weren’t the team that bludgeoned Tennessee and beat Clemson all season long, but Spencer Rattler found his rhythm and became a hero in Columbia. But, while I don’t see Notre Dame throwing the ball much, I don’t see much balance from South Carolina.

“The wild card here is that OC Marcus Satterfield is gone. Many wondered if his play calling held SC back early in the season. They’re likely to be more aggressive and more creative in his absence. That’s what we saw in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl when Dakereon Joyner was 9-of-9 for 160 yards as a passer and had 10 carries for 64 yards as a runner.

“It’ll also be a de facto home game with upwards of 40,000 making the pilgrimage to Jacksonville. There’s a lot more upside to South Carolina, even if Notre Dame is likely the better overall team.”

Morgan Moriarty, Bleacher Report: Notre Dame 28, South Carolina 9

Moriarty says: “These teams had interesting seasons for different reasons. Notre Dame started 0-2, including a shocking home loss to Marshall. But the Irish rebounded to get to 8-4, including an upset victory against Clemson. South Carolina capped the season with a pair of huge upsets, beating Tennessee and Clemson.

“Rattler will have a tough time matching up against Notre Dame’s No. 23-ranked defense without several of his targets around him.”