Staff Picks: South Carolina at LSU, other Week 7 matchups

South Carolina and LSU were each off from game action last week and will now return to face each other down in the Bayou Saturday night.

Kickoff will be at 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network from Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

Here’s how the GamecockCentral and 107.5 The Game staff sees this game going, plus a few predictions on other key matchups this weekend.

George Bagwell: This, I think, is the first time I’ve picked against South Carolina in almost a year. But the Gamecocks haven’t won in Death Valley in almost 31 years, and I don’t, with possibly three key linemen out for South Carolina, see the Gamecocks pulling through in this one in a hostile environment. LSU 24, South Carolina 18.

Elijah Campbell: A lot of defense will be played and both teams will struggle at the offensive line of scrimmage. Garrett Nussmeier has regressed and so has the entire LSU offense. But their defense has picked them up and I expect that to play out on Saturday. I just don’t see Carolina being able to manufacture enough points against THIS defense on the road. LSU 23, South Carolina 16.

Chris Clark: LSU’s offense has scuffled, but the Tigers’ defense is much improved compared to last season. The fact that this is a night game at Baton Rouge gives the home team an advantage for me. LSU 24, South Carolina 20.

Terry Ford: I’ve just got a feeling on this one. The Gamecocks defense big weaknesses has been consistently stopping the run game and tackling. LSU can’t run the ball and their RB’s aren’t big tackle breakers.  Also, it seems like LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier isn’t 100% and the LSU tackles have struggled in pass protection. That could lead to Michael Van Buren getting some run at QB for LSU. The Tigers D is 5^th in defensive efficiency in the country but I just believe that USC QB LaNorris Sellers will make enough plays for the Gamecocks to pull the upset. South Carolina 22, LSU 20.

Griffin Goodwyn: Both South Carolina and LSU have experienced their fair share of struggles early in the 2025 season. But while the Gamecocks have dropped out of the top 25, the Tigers remain firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation due to their strong defense, which has allowed just 12.2 points per game. It’ll also be tough to bet against LSU at Death Valley, where it has lost just once in 17 contests since the start of 2023. LSU 31, South Carolina 18.

Tyler Head: The Gamecocks face one of their most daunting tasks in the Beamer era going to a highly ranked LSU in Death Valley. We all hope things have improved during the bye week, particularly on offense, because this LSU defense is nasty. The Tigers have their own issues on offense so I don’t think they run away with it by any means. If SC wants to salvage the season they MUST win. I’ll call for the upset. South Carolina 23, LSU 20.

Mingo Martin: It’s difficult for anyone to go into Death Valley at night and walk out of there with a win. With Nuss struggling out the gate, this will likely be a low-scoring defensive game, but the Tigers will walk out with the win regardless. LSU 17, South Carolina 3.

Kevin Miller: You can call me crazy, but I think South Carolina gets it done here. LSU has not looked like the team many projected this offseason. Some of that has been due to the health of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. If he remains less than 100%, the Gamecocks’ propensity for big plays (top half in the SEC in sacks, turnovers forced, touchdowns) could be a big problem for the Bayou Bengals. It has been well documented how much LSU has struggled to run the ball this season (don’t tell Brian Kelly I said that), meaning that Clayton White’s unit should be able to limit the Tigers from moving the ball down the field. I think this game will come down to the big, momentum-shifting plays when Carolina’s D is on the field–if LSU hits explosives, they will be tough to beat, but if the Gamecocks can end drives early by getting after the quarterback or taking the ball away, it will mean good things for USC’s chances of victory. South Carolina 24, LSU 20.

Wes Mitchell: This one got weird last year (obviously) and I think you’ll need more of the same this year for Carolina to come out on top. Garrett Nussmeier has been prone to put the ball in danger over the years and the Carolina defense also has a knack for creating turnovers. Which QB can outplay the other and which supporting cast can take a step forward? Call it a gut feeling but I have Carolina pulling the upset. South Carolina 26, LSU 23.

Jay Philips: After an off week for both teams it seems like an easy decision to simply pick LSU at home over Carolina, but as Lee Corso would say, “not so fast my friend.” The Gamecocks definitely played their best game of the season against Kentucky, and while the Cats were overmatched it was clear how much better USC was. LaNorris Sellers has played well in his last five true road games, and I expect that to continue. Neither team runs well, and both have dynamic players on defense. In a game where Carolina wins the TO battle again, give me a mild upset. South Carolina 23, LSU 20.

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Kendall Smith: This will obviously be South Carolina’s toughest test to date in 2025. LSU is a really good team, and both the Gamecocks and Tigers have had a bye week to get ready. Besides last season’s Ole Miss game, under Shane Beamer, South Carolina has done pretty well coming off of a bye, and I’m feeling generous this week. Do I have facts to really back this up? Not really. But why not? Let’s say South Carolina pulls off the shocker in Baton Rouge. Because if I don’t get this right, who cares? I’d rather just try to be positive about it! South Carolina 27, LSU 24. 

Mike Uva: LSU 27, South Carolina 17.

Jack Veltri: If South Carolina wants to win this game on Saturday, it has to force critical mistakes by LSU. It also has to run the football more efficiently, whether it’s through LaNorris Sellers or somebody else. I just don’t know if you can count on all that happening, especially with how much better LSU’s defense is. I like the Gamecocks’ chances, but teams don’t just go into Death Valley at night and leave with a win. As Les Miles once said, Tiger Stadium is the place “where dreams come to die.” Going to be a tight game that goes down to the wire, but the Gamecocks will come up just short. LSU 24, South Carolina 21.

Chris Wellbaum: I’m picking with my heart and not my head, since the Gamecocks deserve payback after getting robbed last season. LSU can’t run the ball, and Garrett Nussmeier can be counted on for a couple of turnovers. For the Gamecocks to win, they have to capitalize on those turnovers while not committing any of their own. And most of all, don’t get rattled by Death Valley at night. South Carolina 27, LSU 13.

	Alabama at Missouri	Ohio State at Illinois	Oklahoma at Texas	Indiana at Oregon	Florida at Texas A&M	Georgia at Auburn	Michigan at Southern Cal	BYU at Arizona	Arizona State at Utah
George Bagwell (46-22)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	Arizona	Utah
Elijah Campbell (45-23)	Alabama	Ohio State	Texas	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Chris Clark (41-27)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Terry Ford (39-29)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Michigan	BYU	Utah
Griffin Goodwyn (45-23)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Tyler Head (42-26)	Missouri	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Michigan	BYU	Arizona State
Mingo Martin (37-31)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Michigan	Arizona	Utah
Kevin Miller (42-26)	Missouri	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Wes Mitchell (45-23)	Missouri	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Jay Philips (41-27)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Kendall Smith (46-22)	Alabama	Ohio State	Texas	Indiana	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Mike Uva (45-23)	Alabama	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Jack Veltri (43-25)	Missouri	Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah
Chris Wellbaum (41-27)	Alabama	The Ohio State	Oklahoma	Oregon	Texas A&M	Georgia	Southern Cal	BYU	Utah

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