Skip to main content

National predictions ahead of South Carolina-LSU

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller10/10/25kevinmillerGC
Untitled design - 2025-08-06T202124.512
Shane Beamer, Brian Kelly (Katie Dugan/GamecockCentral)

This Saturday, South Carolina football will hit the road. The Gamecocks (3-2; 1-2) will travel west for a date with the No. 11-ranked LSU Tigers (4-1; 1-1). The night contest in Baton Rouge will be a sellout for the Bayou Bengals.

Both Shane Beamer and Brian Kelly are leading their teams out of a bye week. However, USC won its last game (a 35-13 domination of Kentucky), while LSU lost two weekends ago (a 24-19 defeat at Ole Miss).

Despite being a top-10 team earlier this season, South Carolina has fallen completely out of top 25 voting in recent weeks. LSU, previously ranked as high as third nationally, now sits at No. 11.

Saturday’s contest is the first of a stretch of five tough games for the Gamecocks. Carolina will take on five top-11 teams in a row.

Join GamecockCentral now for $1 your first week and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.

National opinions on this game are on the side of LSU. However, most prognosticators are leaving the door open for a South Carolina upset, even if they are not picking the Gamecocks.

LSU is a 9.5-point favorite, according to the line set by BetMGM. Some outlets have dropped that spread to eight points, while others have had it as high as 10.5.

Based on ESPN’s FPI Matchup Predictor, South Carolina has a 27% chance of winning. The ESPN SP+ model is even lower on USC’s chances, listing them at just 22%. The predictive machine also believes LSU will cover the spread, 29-16.

On3’s JD PicKell argued that the spread is too high in this contest. Citing South Carolina’s ability to rush the passer, quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ ability to take over, and the Gamecocks’ special teams units, PicKell picked a close game. Still, he went with LSU to win thanks to the home environment at Death Valley.

LSU is also the pick for the team at Pro Football Focus. Both Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman went with the Tigers. The PFF duo agreed that this will be a tough game and that South Carolina has a chance. Chadwick picked Brian Kelly’s team to cover, while Wasserman liked the Gamecocks to be within a touchdown.

College Football News’ Pete Fiutak predicts a 27-17 victory for the home team. He says a defeat would essentially “end the Gamecocks’ season.”

Fox Sports’ AI pick (yes, that is artificial intelligence) picked LSU to win and cover the spread, 24-14.

Get USC Gamecocks app notifications

If these national predictions hold, South Carolina would drop to 3-3 on the season and 1-3 in the SEC. Reaching bowl eligibility would require at least one upset down the stretch, as well.

The program has not seen a victory over LSU since 1994, though the teams tied in 1995, and the Tigers vacated victories in 2012 and 2015. The Gamecocks dropped the 2024 contest, 36-33 in Williams-Brice Stadium.

Saturday’s showdown will begin at 7:45 p.m. (Eastern). SEC Network will broadcast the conference battle, while the ESPN app makes it available via streaming.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!