Breiner’s prediction: The sort of game South Carolina should win at this point

Considering where these teams stood three or four weeks into the season, this hardly seemed like a game where one could say South Carolina absolutely should win.

But if USC is as good as it has seemed to be, it is now.

The Gamecocks are by no means perfect. Their defense is a rising bend-but-don’t break group, with performances that take a closer eye to appreciate (Pro Football Focus has praised a range of USC players). The offense is stop-and-start, with solid to good playmakers at a variety of spots, but a whole that feels a little short of that.

But that should still be better than the Commodores.

What once looked like a promising defense-and-ball-control squad has been torn up by four consecutive opponents. The running game hasn’t been good. The passing game has been better than expected, but not good enough. The defense has been run on by everyone.

South Carolina has a lot of goals that can be reached this weekend, the kind of benchmarks the outside world harps on more than a team. They can clinch a bowl trip, ensure a non-losing SEC season (the first since 2013), avoid the kind of upset a team of their perceived caliber shouldn’t take at home.

The seven-point line seems about right, maybe a little on the low side. South Carolina should be able to have some comfort in reaching 6-2.

The Pick: South Carolina 27, Vanderbilt 17.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Breiner’s prediction: The sort of game South Carolina should win at this point."