East Carolina At South Carolina College Football Expert Picks

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the East Carolina Pirates face off on Saturday in Columbia in week 3 college football odds action.

East Carolina Pirates At South Carolina Gamecocks College Football Expert Picks

When: Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 4:00 PM ET Where: Williams-Brice Stadium TV: SEC Network Live Stream: NCAA Live NCAAF Odds: South Carolina Gamecocks -3 / Over/Under: 50    

Bet The East Carolina Pirates at +3 Because…

The East Carolina Pirates are playing outstanding football on both sides of the ball. East Carolina moved to 2-0 on the season by beating NC State  33-30 the last time out  as quarterback Phillip Nelson completed 33 of 43 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown while wide receiver Quay Johnson hauled in a whopping 13 passes. The Pirates are averaging a healthy 42.5 points and 566.5 yards per game through two games. Defensively, the Pirates are allowing just 18.5 points per game.

Bet The South Carolina Gamecocks -3 Because…

The Gamecocks are playing at home and already have some desperation! South Carolina fell to 1-1 on the season by falling to Mississippi State 27-14 last weekend while getting held to a paltry 34 rushing yards in the loss. Head coach Will Muschamp has yet to decide on a starter at quarterback and has been splitting time between Brandon McIlwain and Perry Orth, but it was Orth that gave the Gamecocks any positive play under center. The South Carolina offense is averaging a pitiful 13.5 points through two games and has turned the ball over four times. The Gamecocks are playing outstanding defense in limiting their opponents to just 18.5 points per game.

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

South Carolina has scored a miniscule 27 combined points in two games and just don’t look very competent when they have the ball, no matter who’s under center. Conversely, East Carolina has ‘opened up a can’ on their first two opponents and shouldn’t have any problems getting the outright win after beating NC State this past weekend. While South Carolina has gone 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games, the Gamecocks are also just 2-7 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record. East Carolina has gone 13-3 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games, 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games in the month of September. South Carolina may have the bigger name recognition, not to mention the fact that they’re playing at home, but East Carolina looks like the better team on both sides of the ball in this matchup. I’m going with East Carolina to cover the spread – by winning outright!

My Pick: East Carolina 31 South Carolina 21