NCAA Football Odds: Southern Miss at South Carolina

Steve Spurrier   may have his best team yet at South Carolina. (AP Images)

Southern Miss and South Carolina meet for the first time ever in football tonight with the Gamecocks as 14-point favorites. And with this game being shown on ESPN, there will be live betting available on Bodog’s NCAA football odds.

It’s hard to bet against Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier tonight. South Carolina is undefeated in season openers under Spurrier, and the Ol’ Ball Coach is 19-1 in openers in his career. The Gamecocks also have won six straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2008 season opener.

South Carolina could be a bit short-handed tonight, however. For sure suspended senior tight end Weslye Saunders will not play. Saunders was interviewed earlier this summer by NCAA investigators regarding a trip he took to Miami and whether it was funded by agents. He's also one of at least nine South Carolina players who was living at a hotel, which has come under NCAA scrutiny. Spurrier said Saunders was suspended for violating team rules, adding that his suspension was not tied to the NCAA investigation. But the Gamecocks may sit those eight other players who are still being looked at by the NCAA, including starting safety Akeem Auguste, starting offensive tackle Jarriel King, starting offensive guard Terrence Campbell and starting defensive tackle Ladi Ajiboy.

Spurrier is back to his normal ways with quarterbacks as well. He has been riding presumed starter Stephen Garcia all summer, and while Garcia will start tonight true freshman Connor Shaw also will play. Spurrier said Shaw has outperformed Garcia, the Gamecocks' starter last season, in team scrimmages and that both would play in the first quarter and then he’d go from there. Sophomore running back Kenny Miles will start over true freshman Marcus Lattimore, arguably the nation’s top recruit in the Class of 2010.

Meanwhile, Southern Miss is 2-0 in openers under coach Larry Fedora. The Golden Eagles have opened against an SEC team 15 times and have won just three of those – all 15 have come on the road. Southern Miss has lost eight in a row overall against SEC clubs. USM’s star is WR DeAndre Brown, who helped lead the team to the Conference USA title game last year by finishing with 785 yards receiving and nine touchdowns to lead the team. Those numbers are even more impressive considering he was slowed by recovering from a broken leg.

Be a player and bet at Bodog on whether Spurrier can win yet another season opener.