If South Carolina somehow wins and someone tells you, “I knew the Gamecocks were gonna pull that out,” you will have just met a liar.
There is no proof that South Carolina has a chance of winning on Saturday.
It has the worst scoring offense in the SEC. The worst rushing offense in the conference. The second-worst offense on third down. And Alabama features the SEC’s best quarterback (Ty Simpson) along with some of the most-talented skill players the Gamecocks will face all season.
Just based on that alone, it’s hard to fathom South Carolina scoring more points than the Tide.
If South Carolina wins, it will be because it drastically changed the offense — either simplifying the playbook or adding myriad new wrinkles that completely catch Alabama off guard.
Sure, that’s possible. But, conventional wisdom tells you those changes would have been made against LSU (after the bye week) or against Oklahoma (after OL coach Lonnie Teasley was fired).
The only reason for a massive shift now — in late October — is pure desperation. Buy, hey, desperation forces creativity.
PREDICTION: Alabama 31, South Carolina 17