Staff Picks: South Carolina vs. Oklahoma, other Week 8 matchups

South Carolina returns home for a pivotal matchup against No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday.

The Gamecocks and Sooners will kick off at 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network from Williams-Brice Stadium.

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: South Carolina, again, will be missing crucial pieces along the offensive line. Oklahoma, however, is not completely healthy either. John Mateer didn’t look all that great against Texas last weekend, and if the Gamecocks secondary can shut him down like the Longhorns did, the offense should be able to put up just enough points to win the game. South Carolina 21, Oklahoma 18.

Elijah Campbell: The offensive line finally hit rock bottom against LSU. They gave up pressure on 65% of LaNorris Sellers’ drop backs and committed seven procedural penalties and it ultimately killed any shot of Carolina scoring in the red zone. Oklahoma is in town and as good as LSU’s defense is, Oklahoma’s is BETTER. A change at OL coach was necessary, but I don’t believe the improvement will be overnight and guys like R Mason Thomas will make LaNorris’ afternoon not-so-pleasant. Oklahoma 27, South Carolina 13.

Chris Clark: South Carolina takes advantage of some opportunities, does just enough on offense, and forces some key Sooners mistakes en route to a close win. South Carolina 20, Oklahoma 16.

Terry Ford: Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t wow when QB John Mateer was healthy. The Sooners haven’t scored over 24 points in a game against a Power 4 team. USC has struggled to score all year. This smells like a low-scoring rock fight. I’ll take the Gamecocks at home to throw the bigger rocks. South Carolina 19, Oklahoma 16.

Griffin Goodwyn: Oklahoma’s coming off a rough showing in this year’s edition of the Red River Rivalry, a game in which John Mateer didn’t look like himself in his first action since undergoing surgery on his right hand. But the Sooners’ defense has remained a tough nut to crack, as it is the only unit in the SEC to allow single-digit points per game (9.8). The Gamecocks have encountered troubles against worse defenses, but their home-field advantage should help keep the score close — though it may not be enough to put them over the top. Oklahoma 24, South Carolina 17.

Tyler Head: South Carolina has no choice but to win this game. Oklahoma has had a questionable offense this season and comes in off their worst showing vs Texas. Once again, I feel that SC’s defense and special teams have to make massive plays in this one because I don’t see SC’s offense doing enough to get the job done. Oklahoma 17, South Carolina 13.

Mingo Martin: If the Gamecocks want to win, they’re gonna have to come out as fast as they did against the Sooners last season. I could see this being a trap game for a group that’s looking ahead to Ole Miss as they try to get back in the playoff picture. If not, it’s a great weekend to enjoy the final couple of days of the fair with family. May the Saturday traffic be ever in your favor, regardless of whether you’re heading to the stadium or the fairgrounds. South Carolina 24, Oklahoma 17.

Kevin Miller: South Carolina is 3-3, things don’t look good offensively, and the Oklahoma game is up next. Sound familiar? This is basically the same exact scenario Shane Beamer’s team faced in 2024. However, this Sooners team is different than the one that the Gamecocks boatraced last season. Brent Venables’ group is better on both sides of the football, and pending quarterback John Mateer’s health (a real concern after the way he played against Texas), they are a legitimate College Football Playoff hopeful. South Carolina certainly can win this game, especially if Mateer isn’t full-go. However, I think the most likely outcome is that the Gamecocks play hard, keep things close, but lose a less-than-aesthetically-pleasing contest. Oklahoma 24, South Carolina 17.

Wes Mitchell: The number 24 has been speaking to me all week, as in whoever can get to 24 points, should win this game. User Garnet Yard Bird said on our GC LIVE preview for the game that the score would be 24-23, so I’m stealing his pick and going with the home team. South Carolina 24, Oklahoma 23.

Jay Philips: After a week of important – and necessary – change on the coaching staff, the Gamecocks find themselves in a tough but manageable spot: a home game against a wounded team. Oklahoma knows it played poorly against Texas, but how much was on them and how much was because of Texas? Same concept for USC; for the second straight road game, despite several self-inflicted mistakes, they were in a one score game midway through the 4th quarter with possession and a chance to tie or take the lead. Will the penalties up front be minimized? Can LaNorris find the time he needs to feel comfortable? Will the Carolina defense make it two rough games in a row for John Mateer? If the answers are yes then it’s a good day, and I feel like Shane has proven he can get his teams turned around. With history as a slight guide, give me South Carolina 27, Oklahoma 21.

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Kendall Smith: This is South Carolina’s best bet to win in their remaining SEC games. John Mateer is coming off of a hand injury and threw 3 interceptions last week in a tough loss to Texas. I think the combination of that struggle paired with the desperation South Carolina must feel right now will make this a game that South Carolina squeaks out. Let’s see how the offense does this week, especially with the flashes of positivity we saw in the run game against LSU and a Shawn Elliott leading the offensive line. I’ll give this one to the Gamecocks, but it will be close: South Carolina 24, Oklahoma 21. 

Mike Uva: Expect a low-scoring, grind-it-out kind of game as South Carolina looks to end their losing skid. South Carolina 20, Oklahoma 17.

Jack Veltri: If South Carolina doesn’t win this game, forget about planning to go to a bowl game at the end of the season. Oklahoma will be a tough matchup, but it’s more winnable than any of the next three games in this five-game gauntlet in SEC play. I would definitely take the under for this game just because these aren’t the most potent offenses. Can the defense replicate what Texas did against John Mateer last week? I don’t trust Mike Shula’s offense, but I do trust the defense and special teams to make plays to win this game. Limit the mistakes and we’ll see what happens. South Carolina 17, Oklahoma 14.

Chris Wellbaum: With John Mateer still ailing and South Carolina still Gamecocking, this will be a defensive struggle with a lot of the scoring coming off of special teams and turnovers. As a result, it could go either way. But I can’t pick South Carolina’s banged-up, struggling offensive line to win. Oklahoma 20, South Carolina 15.

	Washington at Michigan	Georgia Tech at Duke	LSU at Vanderbilt	SMU at Clemson	Ole Miss at Georgia	Mississippi State at Florida	Southern Cal at Notre Dame	Tennessee at Alabama	Utah at BYU
George Bagwell (53-25)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	SMU	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Elijah Campbell (54-24)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	LSU	Clemson	Georgia	Mississippi State	Notre Dame	Alabama	BYU
Chris Clark (49-29)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	SMU	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	BYU
Terry Ford (45-33)	Michigan	Duke	LSU	Clemson	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Griffin Goodwyn (53-25)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	Clemson	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Tyler Head (46-32)	Michigan	Duke	Vanderbilt	SMU	Georgia	Mississippi State	Southern Cal	Tennessee	BYU
Mingo Martin (43-35)	Washington	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	SMU	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Kevin Miller (48-30)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	Clemson	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	BYU
Wes Mitchell (51-27)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	SMU	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	BYU
Jay Philips (48-30)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	LSU	Clemson	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Kendall Smith (55-23)	Michigan	Georgia Tech	LSU	Clemson	Ole Miss	Florida	Notre Dame	Tennessee	Utah
Mike Uva (53-25)	Washington	Georgia Tech	LSU	Clemson	Georgia	Florida	Notre Dame	Alabama	Utah
Jack Veltri (50-28)	Washington	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	Clemson	Georgia	Mississippi State	Southern Cal	Alabama	BYU
Chris Wellbaum (48-30)	Washington	Georgia Tech	Vanderbilt	Clemson	Ole Miss	Mississippi State	Southern Cal	Alabama	Utah

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