Staff Picks: South Carolina vs. Kentucky, other Week 5 matchups

South Carolina returns home on Saturday for what has turned into a game of massive importance. The Gamecocks will look to avoid a 0-3 start in SEC play when they host the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kickoff will be at 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network.

Before we dive into staff picks, congratulations are in order for GamecockCentral’s own Wes Mitchell. Not just because Wes is now a father, but more importantly, he went a perfect 10-0 in his picks last week. He becomes the first to accomplish this feat so far this season. So again, congratulations, Wes!

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: Death, taxes, and Shane Beamer beating Kentucky. The Wildcats have an argument to be the worst team in the SEC now that Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are apparently competing for playoff bids. While South Carolina has struggled this season to quite the degree, a home game against Kentucky is exactly what the doctor ordered. South Carolina 28, Kentucky 10.

Elijah Campbell: ANXIETY BOWL!! Both teams have tough roads ahead and will see each other as the most beatable on the SEC schedule. The big “if” in this game is IF the Gamecocks can limit McGowan and Dowdell on the ground and make Cutter Boley prove something through the air, Carolina will win with ease. I don’t think they win with ease and I think UK will get themselves in field goal range and settle for three frequently. However, the passing game for Carolina is clicking to the point where I think they take advantage of a very suspect Kentucky secondary and score enough to win this thing. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 19.

Chris Clark: The Gamecocks will have enough to get back on track at home against the Wildcats. The defense should come up with a couple big plays and the offense likewise will put together enough to score points and walk away with a one-score win. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 20.

Terry Ford: The Wildcats basically want to bore you to death. South Carolina needs to score early to keep the crowd awake. Let’s be real, Kentucky isn’t anything special on paper and their QB is starting his first road game in the SEC. The Gamecocks SHOULD win this game. They’re better. But USC must improve the tackling or the Cats can control the game and it gets scary. I think Sellers and the South Carolina passing attack can hit some big plays against a suspect Kentucky secondary.  If the Gamecocks can cut down on the self-inflicted wounds they should win. South Carolina 23, Kentucky 16.

Griffin Goodwyn: South Carolina and Kentucky head into this matchup looking for their first conference wins of the season. Both squads have valid reasons as to why they may need it more than the other — the Gamecocks want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, while the Wildcats want to carry some positive momentum into what could be a long month of October with games against Georgia, Texas and Tennessee next on the docket. South Carolina, specifically, has been down on its luck thus far in 2025, as it has struggled to get things going in the run game and make stops on defense. The Gamecocks should be able to mitigate those concerns against a bottom-half SEC opponent on Saturday in a game that they’re favored to win, even if the score ends up being a little too close for comfort. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 20.

Tyler Head: South Carolina needs this win in the worst possible way. The Gamecocks have their struggles on offense and defense, but Kentucky isn’t exactly killing it either and they are starting an inexperienced QB in his first on the road. If Carolina can limit the Wildcat’s rushing attack (and tackle effectively) then it’s all on Cutter Boley’s shoulder to beat them and I haven’t seen enough from him to think he can. It’s always a dogfight with UK, but I like SC to win. South Carolina 24, Kentucky 17.

Mingo Martin: Man, if I had a dollar for every time South Carolina and Kentucky played at 7 p.m. on SEC Network in the past decade. South Carolina should find their first conference win here in a huge way against the Wildcats. I’m also expecting the offense to score more than two touchdowns for the first time this year. South Carolina 31, Kentucky 17.

Kevin Miller: South Carolina has to have a win, and I think they get it. The Gamecocks have a talent advantage that should shine through, especially with a home crowd behind them that is desperate to see a tally added to the W column. Look for some new looks on offense, either in personnel usage or play calling wrinkles. Kentucky also has never scored more than 16 points against Clayton White’s defense. South Carolina 24, Kentucky 13.

Wes Mitchell: It’s gut check time part two as South Carolina tries to get its season back on track and take some level of momentum into the bye week. This won’t be an “easy” game because none in the SEC are this year, but the Gamecocks just simply can’t lose to Kentucky at home at night. South Carolina 30, Kentucky 21.

Jay Philips: The Gamecocks know that the vast majority of what ails them comes from within, so everything else is secondary when it comes to game planning for an opponent. Kentucky isn’t very good, but they play an intentionally ugly brand of football that travels. Shane Beamer made mention of just that in his weekly press conference, so it’s imperative that his team fix itself, gain confidence and win a likely “rock fight” type of game. Carolina is at home, they are more talented and WB is sold out. With a little hesitation after an 0-2 conference start, I’ll take South Carolina. South Carolina 23, Kentucky 16.

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Kendall Smith: Big comeback week coming up for the Gamecocks. Dare I say this could be the moment in the season that reenergizes the group before a massive October schedule? South Carolina knows a lot rides on this game, and I think they’ll show that with a fast start against a Kentucky team they should have no problem taking the win over. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 13.

Mike Uva: Culture > Climate. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 17.

Jack Veltri: Some don’t like to use the “must win” term, especially this early in the season. However, that’s exactly the situation South Carolina is currently in. If the Gamecocks want to have any chance at saving their season, let alone getting to a bowl game, they need to win on Saturday. I have many concerns about this team. They haven’t shown me enough to feel too good about them. But I think they’ll work out some of their problems and head into the bye week with some much-needed momentum and positivity. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 17.

Chris Wellbaum: South Carolina will play better than it did last week, but this is more about the other team. Kentucky has shown even less reason for confidence than South Carolina, and that’s before the Wildcats had to turn to a freshman quarterback making his first start on the road. Unless his name is Kenny Hill, I don’t trust a quarterback making his first start to have much success against Dylan Stewart and company in a night game at Williams-Brice. South Carolina 22, Kentucky 12.

	TCU at Arizona State	Notre Dame at Arkansas	Southern Cal at Illinois	LSU at Ole Miss	Tennessee at Mississippi State	Oregon at Penn State	Alabama at Georgia	San Jose State at Stanford	BYU at Colorado
George Bagwell (35-13)	Arizona State	Arkansas	Southern Cal	LSU	Tennessee	Penn State	Georgia	San Jose State	BYU
Elijah Campbell (30-18)	TCU	Notre Dame	Illinois	Ole Miss	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Chris Clark (27-21)	Arizona State	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	Ole Miss	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	San Jose State	BYU
Terry Ford (26-22)	TCU	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	Ole Miss	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Griffin Goodwyn (30-18)	TCU	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	Ole Miss	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Tyler Head (30-18)	TCU	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	San Jose State	BYU
Mingo Martin (28-20)	TCU	Notre Dame	Illinois	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	San Jose State	BYU
Kevin Miller (28-20)	Arizona State	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Wes Mitchell (32-16)	TCU	Notre Dame	Illinois	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Jay Philips (28-20)	TCU	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Kendall Smith (32-16)	Arizona State	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	Ole Miss	Tennessee	Penn State	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Mike Uva (30-18)	Arizona State	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU
Jack Veltri (30-18)	TCU	Notre Dame	Southern Cal	Ole Miss	Mississippi State	Penn State	Alabama	Stanford	BYU
Chris Wellbaum (28-20)	TCU	Notre Dame	Illinois	LSU	Tennessee	Oregon	Georgia	Stanford	BYU

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