There are far bigger things happening in the Columbia, South Carolina area now than a football game, with flooding causing a major disaster in the area forcing the game to move to Baton Rouge. Somehow, South Carolina (2-3) will try to save its season against a rolling LSU (4-0) with one of the hottest athletes in all of sports. Check out the LSU vs. South Carolina prediction and game preview.

LSU vs. South Carolina Game Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
Game Time: 12:00 pm
Venue: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rough, LA
Network: ESPN

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Why You Need To Care

Just how good is LSU? It’s unbeaten, and Leonard Fournette has already been handed the Heisman, but the team isn’t playing all that well. It struggled a bit too much against Syracuse, and it needed a little too long to put away a bad Eastern Michigan team, but none of that matters. Right now, the Tigers are 2-0 in the SEC, and with three of the next four games at home, and Florida up next, a win at South Carolina means it really is Game On for the SEC title race.

Can the Gamecocks find something special and turn everything around? Punchless against Missouri, and struggling against Georgia, they’re 0-3 in the SEC and in danger of falling off a cliff and looking for a potential change in the program. With five home games in the final seven, there’s no real excuse to not be better, but first, USC has to find some semblance of an offense.

Why LSU Will Win

Now it gets a home game. It might turn out to be a chance to get away from the distractions and problems for South Carolina, but would LSU rather play the game in Death Valley? Absolutely. On the field, the South Carolina offense just isn’t getting anything moving, struggling to put points on the board and not doing anything through the air. LSU’s pass defense is giving up the short passes, and was picked apart by Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott, but Steve Spurrier doesn’t have a Prescott. The Gamecocks are painfully missing the skill weapons, and it’s going to show against the Tiger D that can focus solely on slowing down the run.

Why South Carolina Will Win

Can the Gamecock D rise up and slow down Leonard Fournette? Georgia and Nick Chubb were able to rumble, and the South Carolina defense is allowing close to five yards per rush, but this is a truly one-dimensional LSU offense that can throw the ball with any semblance of consistency. Brandon Harris only hit 4-of-14 passes against Eastern Michigan, and USC is going to make him try to win the game on his own. Stopping Mr. Fournette is easier said than done, but South Carolina, as bad as it’s been offensively, can hang on to the ball and crank out the clock enough to keep him off the field for long stretches. The Gamecocks aren’t going to make the little mistakes like LSU will – the Tigers are getting penalized close to nine times per game, while USC is getting hit 4.6 times per outing.

Player Who Matters

It’s going to take an entire defensive effort to slow down Fournette, but most of the heavy-lifting should fall on LB Skai Moore, who leads the team with 52 stops. For all the problems with the Gamecock run D up front, Moore is getting in on everything, coming up with 12 tackles against both Georgia and Missouri, and 11 against North Carolina. It takes a disciplined D to keep No. 7 for taking off for big runs, and that’s where Moore’s experience should kick in.

What’s Going To Happen?

This would be a ripe-for-the-picking upset if the game was in Columbia. South Carolina is desperate, LSU isn’t playing all that well, and this is a desperate team in need of something positive. Expect a great effort from the Gamecocks, but the LSU defense will be too good at home.

What’s Going To Happen?

This would be a ripe-for-the-picking upset if the game was in Columbia. South Carolina is desperate, LSU isn’t playing all that well, and this is a desperate team in need of something positive. Expect a great effort from the Gamecocks, but the LSU defense will be too good at home.

LSU vs. South Carolina Prediction

Final Score: LSU 27, South Carolina 10, Line: LSU -14, o/u: 49

Must See Rating: 5: The Walk – 1: Pan … 3

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