First look: Top storylines, betting odds for South Carolina vs. Georgia football game

OK, let’s talk SEC football.

South Carolina has its first Southeastern Conference game this week, and it’s against No. 1 Georgia — the back-to-back national champions Here’s a look at what Week 3 will look like for the Gamecocks.

SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA GAME, TV/STREAM INFO

Who: South Carolina (1-1) at No. 1 Georgia (2-0)

Where: Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Watch: CBS

Series history: South Carolina and Georgia face off for the 74th time in program history. The Gamecocks are 19-54-2 all-time against the Bulldogs, and have lost the last three games. The last time USC won was in double overtime in 2019 in Athens in a 20-17 win.

VEGAS BETTING ODDS

South Carolina opened as a 26-point underdog against Georgia, according to Circa Sports. The over/under is 56.5 points.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina evened its record to 1-1 with a 47-21 win over Furman at home, and the Gamecocks regained some confidence heading into conference play. Quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns with a 93% completion rate.

There are still some questions surrounding injuries and how the offensive line will handle Georgia, though the Gamecocks allowed one sack in their second game — after allowing nine in the opener.

Dakereon Joyner has touchdowns in consecutive games, and Xavier Legette posted back-to-back games with at least 100 receiving yards. Antwane Wells Jr. has yet to play a full game.

The Gamecocks earned a pair of wins over Top 10 teams to close out the 2022 regular season and face a pair of highly ranked teams in the next three games — No. 1 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee.

ABOUT GEORGIA

No. 1 Georgia faces its first Power Five opponent this season with South Carolina, after dominant UGA wins over UT-Martin, 48-7, and Ball State, 45-3. The Bulldogs defense has yet to allow more than one score in a game this season.

Georgia had a slow offensive start in both games, scoring a combined seven points in the first quarters. The second quarters, however, are a combined 41 points.

The Bulldogs have struggled in the run game so far this season, having 99 rushing yards against Ball State. Head coach Kirby Smart said after the Week 2 win that he’s content with “the extension of the run game” — with perimeter passing and bubble screens — but is still seeking improvement with the interior run.

GAMECOCKS AND BULLDOGS TO WATCH

USC LB Debo Williams: Williams has been in the spotlight the last two games. He’s now at 18 tackles through two games, well on pace to pass the 43 tackles he earned last season — even if he’s not playing the full game like he did against UNC.

USC WR Eddie Lewis: Lewis didn’t play in Week 1 but had 89 yards against Furman, including a 46-yard pass in no-man’s land that put South Carolina in Furman territory on the first USC drive of the second half. Lewis was also a key asset on special teams.

Georgia QB Carson Beck: The new starting QB for the Bulldogs has performed well over two games, but like everyone else on this team he hasn’t been tested yet. Beck is 44 of 61 passing with three touchdowns and one rushing touchdown this season. He played well against the Gamecocks in 2022 (5 of 6 with a touchdown) after coming in later in the game.

Georgia DB Tykee Smith: Smith was one of three players to have an interception against Ball State on Saturday, earning his fifth career INT off a pass break-up by Daylen Everette. The 5-foot-10 defender has nine tackles through two games, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

2023 football schedule

• Sept. 2 – North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17

• Sept. 9 – South Carolina 47, Furman 21

• Sept. 16 – at Georgia – 3:30 pm, CBS

• Sept. 23 – vs Mississippi State – TBA

• Sept. 30 – at Tennessee – TBA

• Oct. 14 – vs Florida – TBA

• Oct. 21 – at Missouri – TBA

• Oct. 28 – at Texas A&M – TBA

• Nov. 4 – Jacksonville State – TBA

• Nov. 11 – vs Vanderbilt – TBA

• Nov. 18 – vs Kentucky – TBA

• Nov. 25 – vs Clemson – TBA