Southern Mississippi at South Carolina
Thursday, 9/2/10, 7:30 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: South Carolina -13.5
Current Betting Line: South Carolina -14
Opening Total 45
Current Total 45
Current Moneyline: South Carolina -625, So Miss +500
Southern Mississippi opens its 94th season of football when travelling to face South Carolina on national television. The Golden Eagles are 62-30 in season openers and have won their last three such games. It’s important to note that the team is opening on the road for the first time in four seasons, when they began the 2006 campaign with a 34-7 loss at Florida. Head coach Larry Fedora is 2-0 in season openers. Thursday night will mark the 16th time the Golden Eagles have opened a season against the Southeastern Conference, as they are 3-12 in those contests and all 15 previous games have been played away from Hattiesburg. This game will also mark the 36th-straight games against an SEC opponent on the road dating back to the 1989 season. Turnover will certainly be key in this contest due to Southern Miss forcing at least one in 24 of 26 games during the Fedora era and have had two or more in 18 contests.
The Golden Eagles have a few things going for them, especially a 2-0 ATS record as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points over the last three years. The squad is also 32-20 ATS in September since the start of the 1992 season. From a total perspective, players need to be aware that the team is 4-8 O/U on the road over the last three campaigns.
South Carolina is 76-36-4 all-time in season openers and the team has won 10 consecutive opening games and 13 out of the last 14. Head coach Steve Spurrier is 19-1 all-time in season openers as a collegiate front man, with his only defeat coming on a 27-21 loss to his current team on September 2, 1989, while at Duke. The Gamecocks are 6-2 on Thursday night games over the last five seasons, including 4-0 in season openers. South Carolina has won six straight non-conference home games dating back to the 2008 opener. The team is actually 26-3 in home non-conference games since 2000. Spurrier’s unit is primed for a big season due to the luxury of returning 17 starters from a squad that finished 7-6 overall, 3-5 in SEC play. That number includes eight on offense, seven on defense and two on special teams. The Gamecocks own a 18-13-0 all-time record against current members of Conference USA.
The Gamecocks have produced a 3-1 ATS record as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points and the total is 8-4 O/U in this situation in the last 12 tries. Spurrier’s unit is just 12-11 ATS over the last two seasons and the total is 10-14 O/U over that span. In the last seven matchups with Conference USA opponents, South Carolina has produced a 4-3 ATS record.
Bettors will find that the visitors are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games versus the SEC, while the under is 8-3 in the last 11 such meetings. The Gamecocks have rattled off four straight ATS winners in September and the under is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games during the opening month.
