College Football

Notre Dame vs. South Carolina best bet, odds and how to bet

Published Dec. 27, 2022 5:07 p.m. ET

The No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish play the No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks in the Gator Bowl on Friday in Jacksonville, Florida, in a matchup of 8-4 teams that survived rough starts to make it to a bowl.

The Irish started the season ranked fifth but lost their first two games, including a 21-10 defeat to Ohio State in the opener. Notre Dame, under first-year coach Marcus Freeman, won five in a row late in the season but lost the regular-season finale to USC.

The Gamecocks started the season 1-2 with losses against ranked teams Arkansas and Georgia. South Carolina finished the regular season on a high note by upsetting top 10 teams Tennessee and Clemson.

This will be the fifth meeting between the teams. South Carolina won the last meeting, 36-32, in 1984 but Notre Dame won the other three matchups. The Fighting Irish are 19-21 in bowl games. The Gamecocks 10-14 in bowl games.

Here's everything you need from a betting perspective on the game between Notre Dame and South Carolina, from the point spread, moneyline, total Over/Under and expert pick (odds via FOX Bet).

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No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN)

Point spread: Notre Dame -2.5 (Notre Dame favored to win by more than 2.5 points, otherwise South Carolina covers)
Moneyline: Notre Dame -138 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $17.25 total); South Carolina +110 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $21. total)
Total scoring Over/Under: 51.5 points scored by both teams combined

Pick via Gambling Analyst Sam Panayotovich:

No team finished its season stronger than South Carolina.

The Gamecocks throttled Tennessee by 25 points, then went into Death Valley and snapped Clemson’s 40-game home winning streak. Momentum isn’t always easy to build down the stretch, but head coach Shane Beamer has his bunch playing inspired ball.

It also helps that [former Heisman front-runner] Spencer Rattler will start at quarterback for South Carolina. There were early rumblings that Rattler was on the fence, but he made his intentions crystal clear last week. The former Oklahoma Sooner was magical in SC's last two tilts.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s quarterback situation is a work in progress. Starter Drew Pyne entered the transfer portal, so Tyler Buchner is set to start despite missing 10 games with a non-throwing shoulder injury. And let’s not forget that future-NFL tight end Michael Mayer opted out for the NFL Draft.

I think the wrong team is favored, so give me the points.

PICK: South Carolina (+2.5 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 2.5 points (or win outright)

Pick via FOX Sports College Football Analyst RJ Young:

The Gamecocks are in rare form, with wins against Tennessee and Clemson to finish their regular season. They might not get the win over the Irish, but they'll certainly keep it competitive.

PICK: South Carolina (+2.5 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 2.5 points (or win outright)

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