Week 1 of College Football bleeds over into Sunday of this long, holiday weekend as we are blessed with three more games to close out the action. On Monday, TCU takes on UNC and later Sunday Night the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Miami Hurricanes as the Catholics battle the Convicts. However in this piece, we will discuss Sunday’s matinee matchup as the No. 13 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. We found our best picks in the game so let’s get into it!
Check out the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks. Plus, you’ve still got some time to add more futures to your portfolio so be sure to check out our Power Four Conference Previews below.
Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #13 South Carolina Gamecocks NCAA Football Insights
Kyron Drones is a dual threat QB leading the Hokies for another year
The Virginia Tech Hokies return dual threat QB Kyron Drones, TE Benji Gosnell, as well as wide receivers Ayden Greene and Takye Heath who are set to have bigger roles in the offense. New additions include RB Terion Stewart who ran for nearly 900 yards on just 166 carries last season, totaling 14 touchdowns and over 1,550 yards his past two years at Bowling Green.
The Hokies also brought in pass catcher, Donavon Greene who went for 380 yards at Wake Forest last season.
Is that enough to revamp an offense that put up just 28 points per game last season?
They face the South Carolina Gamecocks and LaNorris Sellers, who is pretty much everyone in the industry’s dark horse Heisman candidate. And for good reason.
Last year, Sellers led the Gamecocks to their first nine win season since 2017. Sellers had 2,500 yards through the air and 674 on the ground with 25 total touchdowns last season. He returns his three favorite wide receivers and his backup TE, Michael Smith, who is set to be the guy this season. At RB, sure, South Carolina lost Raheim Sanders who had 1,100 all purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns last season.
However, they bring in Rahsul Faison of Utah State who went for 1,100 rushing yards with eight touchdowns last season for the Aggies. On both sides of the ball, South Carolina should be fine.
Matchup Information – Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina – August 31
- Venue & Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
- Date: Sunday, August 31, 2025
- Kick Off: 3:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of August 30, 2025 at 8:46 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code FREE250 for a 50% deposit bonus up to $250 as well as 100 Free Spins at the online casino.
Spread
- Virginia Tech +7 (-105)
- South Carolina -7 (-115)
Moneyline
- Virginia Tech +236
- South Carolina -288
Total
- Over 51.5 (-110)
- Under 51.5 (-110)
This number opened with the Gamecocks laying a touchdown plus the hook, but has ticked down half a point to give us an even touchdown spread. Some sportsbooks out there still hang the hook, and others have bumped up the spread to eight, but we are not seeing -6.5 anywhere, and probably for good reason.
Getting under a touchdown would probably cause a lot of sharps to hammer South Carolina. For me, a touchdown is good enough, as we get some push potential and I see them winning this game by double digits.
Virginia Tech vs. #13 South Carolina NCAA Football Picks and Predictions
LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecocks open their season against Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina Prediction: South Carolina Wins & Covers, Over 51.5
Best Bet: South Carolina -7 (-115) BetOnline
The Gamecocks were great on offense last season with the emergence of Sellers. This season they are just going to elevate that side of their game. But the defense is also worth talking about.
South Carolina was No. 11 last season giving up just 18.6 points per contest. That translated to ranking top 15 in yards per game and points per play allowed to their foes. The defense the Gamecocks have this season will be just as good, if not better than last year.
They are still in the toughest conference in college football, and we know how much defense can matter in the SEC. If the Gamecocks want to compete in a loaded conference, they will need to limit their opponent’s offensive production. Sure, Sellers is capable of scoring 30 points a game, but letting him know he only needs to put up 24-28 to win would take a bunch of pressure off of his shoulders.
If this turns into a shootout, one side is much more capable of putting up points consistently, compared to the other.
Look for the Gamecocks to lay the hammer down in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, letting everyone in the country know that last year wasn’t a fluke. South Carolina is here to stay.
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