South Carolina drawing more bets than Clemson for this week’s rivalry football game

It looks like college football gamblers are also finding some joy in South Carolina’s late-season resurgence under coach Shane Beamer.

The Gamecocks, fresh off beating No. 10 Tennessee as a 22.5-point underdog, are one of the more popular bets in the country heading into their annual rivalry game at No. 8 Clemson.

Clemson is favored by 14.5 points entering Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium, but South Carolina is picking up 71% of all bets and 67% of all money to cover the spread as a two-touchdown underdog, according to a Wednesday review of sportsbook data.

That means nearly three-fourths of bettors are counting on USC (7-4, 4-4 SEC) to stay within 14 points on the road or beat Clemson (10-1, 8-0 ACC) outright for the first time since 2013.

Riding the high of a season-defining win against Tennessee last week, South Carolina has also picked up 70% of the straight-up win-loss money line bets against Clemson, per VegasInsider. USC is +624 on the money line, meaning that a successful $100 wager on a USC win would win you another $624.

The Tigers, despite beating their last two opponents 71-26 and clinching a spot in the ACC championship game weeks ago, are only getting 29% of bets to cover the spread — which would require them beating their rivals by 15-plus points, something they’ve done five games in a row.

The 71-29 percentage split between South Carolina and Clemson is among the more interesting trends against the spread entering college football’s weekend rivalry slate, per Action Network.

Among other notable matchups, No. 3 Michigan has 60% of the bets to cover against No. 2 Ohio State (-7.5) And No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 6 Southern Cal (-5) are split 50-50 on bets against the spread.

No. 17 UNC (-6.5), on the contrary, is getting 80% of the bets against unranked N.C. State, and No. 12 Kansas State (-11.5) is getting 83% of the bets against unranked Kansas.

South Carolina-Clemson is more in line with those trends — but flipped, with the unranked team getting more bets than the one ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25.

That’s likely because of South Carolina’s 63-38 win over Tennessee last weekend. An inconsistent USC offense looked unstoppable, scoring on nine of its 10 possessions that didn’t end either half. Quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 30 of 37 passes for 438 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions in his best game of the season by far.

Will that continue against Clemson? Outside of the Tigers’ defensive chops — they’re beatable but mostly solid, allowing just 98 total yards last week — here’s what recent history tells us about the Clemson-South Carolina matchup from a betting perspective. All data is from Odds Shark.

• Saturday’s 14.5-point spread is the closest for a Clemson-USC game in Death Valley since 2014 (Clemson -4.5). The Tigers previously closed as a 26-point favorite against South Carolina in Memorial Stadium in 2016 and 2018.

• Clemson was favored by 20 or more points in four of five overall meetings from 2015 to 2019 before being favored by 11.5 points entering last year’s game. That’s two games in a row with a lower-than-usual spread thanks to USC’s upward trajectory (and some Clemson struggles last year).

• South Carolina is 2-8 overall and 4-6 against the spread against Clemson in its last 10 games as an underdog from 2008 through 2021.

• South Carolina is 3-17 but 8-12 against the spread against Clemson in its last 20 games as an underdog from 1995 through 2021.

• As an underdog in Death Valley specifically, South Carolina is 2-8 overall and 4-6 against the spread since 1998. The Gamecocks last covered in 2012.

• South Carolina hasn’t been favored against Clemson overall since 2013.

• Over the last two decades, though, South Carolina’s been a steady enough bet against Clemson. Regardless of favorite or underdog status, USC is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games against Clemson and 9-11 ATS in its last 20 games against Clemson.

• Finally: South Carolina and Clemson have similar résumés against the spread specific to the 2022 season. Clemson is 6-5 ATS overall and 3-3 ATS at home, while South Carolina is 6-5 ATS and 2-2 ATS on the road.

Clemson-South Carolina is set for a Saturday noon kickoff on ABC.