College Football Free Picks: South Carolina at Auburn

A big Saturday of college football betting is upon us and one of the most compelling matchups on the board is down south in the SEC. The University of South Carolina takes on Auburn, and we've got a play on the side and total.
SOUTH CAROLINA AT AUBURN--SEPTEMBER 25, 2010 4:45 PM PACIFIC
The University of South Carolina has possessed the talent to win on the road in the SEC for several years now, but what they’ve lacked at times is the same competitive intensity they display at home. We had an eye on this spot since the schedule was released and would have played the Gamecocks regardless, but in the wake of the tragic death of former wide receiver Kenny McKinley this becomes much more than a garden variety conference road game—it becomes a statement of tribute to a former teammate. McKinley had been hampered by injuries in his brief NFL career but he was a superstar in Columbia with a friendly personality that made him one of the more popular Gamecock players in recent years.
From a scheduling standpoint, the Gamecocks catch a break as they’ve got a bye on deck before a huge home game against Alabama which will allow the team to attend McKinley’s funeral and deal with their loss without the pressure of having to turn around and face the #1 team in the country several days later. That allows them to put their full focus on this game as a tribute to McKinley—the team will wear decals with his #11 on their helmets—and have time to grieve before refocusing on Alabama.
Auburn is 3-0 but they’ve been cutting down on QB Cameron Newton’s passing plays as their schedule gets tougher. He’ll be facing the toughest defensive challenge of his brief career at Auburn this week, and we don’t expect to see him moving the ball as effectively as he did against a soft Clemson stop unit a week ago. Big edge for South Carolina on the offensive side of the ball as well, where they’ve got a talented and experienced quarterback in Steven Garcia along with their freshman running back phenom Marcus Lattimore. Auburn has been a weak SEC pointspread play over the past few years with a record of 11-16 ATS in the last three seasons.
We look for the Gamecocks to use their strong rushing game and superior defense to get the outright victory here in a game that’ll stay UNDER the total.
PLAY SOUTH CAROLINA +3 OVER AUBURN
PLAY SOUTH CAROLINA/AUBURN UNDER 46