The No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4) take on the No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) Friday. Kickoff from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville is at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s'lines around the South Carolina vs. Notre Dame odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
After a strong start to his tenure in 2021, coach Shane Beamer has had an even better season in 2022 for the Gamecocks. South Carolina is in a 2nd straight bowl game with transfer QB Spencer Rattler leading the offense. Few Gamecocks will be unable to play in this game other than their top 2 TE, and this gives them an advantage over the Irish who will be without star TE Michael Mayer.
Notre Dame will not only be without Mayer as starting QB Drew Pine has decided to transfer and will not play. The Irish are forced to turn to QB Tyler Buchner, who began 2022 as their starter but was sidelined by a shoulder injury that required surgery. He will be rusty and, with Mayer out, will have few options on the offensive side to count on in this game.