Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina pick: Odds, best bet, prediction for SEC battle on Saturday

The slate for Week 3 is a college football bettor’s dream, but don’t overlook the Saturday night tussle between Vanderbilt and South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Both teams are 2-0 as they wade into SEC play.

South Carolina is a 3-point favorite, which tells us that Vanderbilt has taken some money after sitting at +4.5 earlier this week.

Is the betting market getting too high on Diego Pavia and the pesky Commodores?

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina odds, prediction

A lot of the support for Vanderbilt as a live underdog in this matchup seems to stem from the fact that both of these teams played Virginia Tech, with Vanderbilt putting up the more impressive result in a 44-20 win.

That’s all well and good, but that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll be the sharper side on Saturday night, especially on the road.

Led by the electric Pavia under center and Clark Lea on the sidelines, Vanderbilt is unrecognizable from the program it was even two years ago.

Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt running against Virginia Tech. Getty Images

The Commodores scored program-changing wins over Alabama and Auburn in 2024, going to a bowl game for the first time since 2018.

It’s all warm and fuzzy in Nashville, but they’re still a touch behind South Carolina right now.

Although the betting line tells us these two teams would be viewed as equals on a neutral field, that seems like it’s giving too much credit to Vanderbilt.

It’s a great story — Vandy has become something of a darling, especially since the Netflix documentary Any Given Saturday painted Pavia and Lea in such a terrific light — but romance can often seep into the betting market and force bettors to pay a premium on teams because everybody wants in on the fun.

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And while South Carolina may have been a little overrated coming into the campaign, too, they do have arguably the best quarterback in the country under center.

LaNorris Sellers is now a household name and should be the difference-maker against a plucky Vanderbilt defense.

It’s funny how betting works. A few years ago, nobody wanted anything to do with Vanderbilt. Now, bettors can’t get enough of them.

Fade the hype.

The Play: South Carolina -3 (-118, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.