Final predictions: South Carolina vs. Old Dominion (2024)

Operating under the assumption that South Carolina's going to need a steady ground game to help the new quarterback ease into things with a group of relatively unproven wide receivers, it might take a little time for things to get rolling on Saturday against Old Dominion.

Defensively, the Gameco*cks will have bit of a challenge on their hands. Quarterback Grant Wilson is a somewhat of a dual-threat and two of his top three wide receivers from last season (Kelby Williams and Isiah Page) are both back. This offense could be a little more dangerous though. Its leader in receiving yards last season is now at Arizona. The fourth-most receiving yards plays for Duke. Their leading rusher from 2023 transferred to California.

That being said, Old Dominion did finish last season next-to-last in the Sun Belt in total offense. The Monarchs were 11th (out of 14 teams) in scoring offense (23.8).

They were much better against the run last season, finishing fourth in their league in rushing defense. The defense was 11th in passing yards allowed per game. Their 19 total sacks (over 13 games) were the fewest among Sun Belt teams. South Carolina had 21 sacks in 12 games.

Jason Henderson, their top tackler from a year ago, is back in 2024. Their second-leading tackler in 2023 plays for Michigan State now. The guy who finished third on the team in tackles is at Indiana. Again, this could be a little scarier than it will be on Saturday.

But I also think LaNorris Sellers is just going to pick up where he left off last season. And he'll do it, mostly with help from the running backs and tight ends. A couple of big plays from the wide receivers will help South Carolina fans feel good enough about the offense, heading into Lexington next week. South Carolina 31 – Old Dominion 13

Just to jump straight into it and not give yall too many rambling words, South Carolina will win its opener for the 88th time in 131 years of playing football. What exactly it will look like is still a bit hard to determine.

We're in a college football time where there's more unknowns than ever going into a season. Teams are more closed off than ever when it comes to access and players are coming and going at a higher rate than ever. Combine those two things, and it'smore difficultthan ever to get a true feel for how a team will perform.

But by the time the sun goes down on Saturday, there will be a game's worth of evidence to decipher against a Sun Belt team that is fairly competitive.

Starting on the defensive side, what's most encouraging is the amount of competitive depth, especially in the front seven (six?), and there's experience over the entire field. But some very strong, positive adjectives have been thrown around about that side of the ball that I'm hesitant to buy into. There are a few potentially dynamic players on defense, but it seems like a group full of fine to solid guys, based on past production. And that's good enough to get the job done a lot of days, but I'm not sure I'm buying into this group being top five in the league just yet. Maybe they'll prove to be, though.

Personally, I actually feel better about the offense going into the year. It can be multidimensional with Sellers leading the charge and a revamped run game. But the run game is a question mark until it isn't. South Carolina brought in a new running backs coach, a run game coordinator, three transfer running backs and have overhauled the offensive line because the running game was so atrocious last year. Sellers also has such nice touch on a deep ball, too, and is smart in the pass game.

I think most are cautiously optimistic about the offensive line but, the same as the run game, it's a question mark until it isn't.

ODU was close in a lot of games last year, but lost more than it won. The quarterback is back, and so is one of the top tacklers in the country. But lots of players who were contributors were lost. The offensive line was poor and needed to be rebuilt, and Wilson held onto the ball a little too much last year.

I expect some resistance from the Monarchs and don't expect a total dog-walking by South Carolina. But I do expect some comfort in the fourth quarter. South Carolina 37 – Old Dominion 17

The 2024 season is finally here as South Carolina welcomes Old Dominion to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday. With that comes the start of the LaNorris Sellers era at South Carolina.

Offensively, I believe the Gameco*cks will work some easy throws in early on in the game for Sellers to get comfortable in his first start and also try to get Rocket Sanders and the ground game going. If the ground game is working early, I could see the Gameco*cks trying to take some shots down the field early with its speed at receiver to test the Monarchs' secondary.

Defensively, there has been a lot of hype in the offseason surrounding the Gameco*cks' defensive line, and rightfully so. Saturday should provide an opportunity to show what they can do as Old Dominion's offensive line struggled last season. The Monarchs are going to try and spread the Gameco*cks' out and I imagine will try to get the ball out quickly to their receivers to limit what the Gameco*cks' front seven can do so it should be a good test early on for the secondary.

You never what can happen in first games of the season, especially against an opponent like Old Dominion who has shown they can pull off an upset. However, I think the Gameco*cks will enter the game with a chip on their shoulder on both sides of the ball while Sellers gets off to a nice start in his first game leading the offense. A bold prediction here, but I believe there is a good chance the Gameco*cks will also have a non-offensive touchdown in this one, as well. South Carolina 34 – Old Dominion 13

South Carolina runs away with this one. Literally. Expect a very heavy dose of the run game to give the defense some time to breathe. The Rocket, Oscar Adaway III and Juju McDowell all get involved in the pass and run game.

The freshmen make flashy plays across the board as they get their first taste of collegiate football. Dylan Stewart's nose for the football leads him there, Josiah Thompson walls up, and Vicari Swain, a redshirt freshman, makes some plays as well. Michael Smith will also flash at tight end.

Deebo Williams and this defense make enough plays to cover and keep ODU's offense out of whack. South Carolina scores 4 and Herrera adds one. South Carolina 31 – Old Dominion 7

Hale McGranahan: This pick is pure emotion. I have a soft spot for West Virginia, for several reasons, including James Harold McGranahan, Pat White, Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, Rich Rodriguez and I guess Tavon Austin, Geno Smith and Dana Holgorson. Oh, and the Godsey family, too. West Virginia 27 – Penn State 24

John Whittle: There isn't a trophy at stake, but this is a regional rivalry game that should be quite entertaining. The two teams have met 60 times, which is the third-most played game by PSU. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, that rivalry is lopsided, going 49-9-2 in favor of the Nittany Lions, but it doesn't hit the 50 mark this year. There are three new coordinators in Happy Valley, and the Mountaineers get it done at home pulling the upset. West Virginia 24 – Penn State 23

Alex Jones: One of the more intriguing matchups of the day is going down at 12 p.m. in Morgantown. The Mountaineers did finish the 2023 with a 9-4 record, but it's a big year for Neal Brown in 2024. This one will be close throughout, but the Nittany Lions escape with a close win. Penn State 24 – West Virginia 21

Joe Macheca: Penn State proves to be overrated yet again. West Virginia brings the atmosphere and the points. Burning couches in Morgantown. West Virginia 24 – Penn State 14

HM: It seems that Virginia Tech is a popular team for folks to label as a dark horse to win their league this season. Vanderbilt's still coached by Clark Lea, who operates his football team like it's 1993. Did anyone expect anything else from a guy who's coached linebackers and coordinated defenses for his career? And they're not even good on defense. Virginia Tech 31 – Vanderbilt 14

JW: You have to feel like this is a big season for both head coaches. Lea gets some grace because he's at Vanderbilt, and it's a hard job. Brent Pry had a 6-6 regular season in his second year, and the Hokies probably want to see a little more spunk. I'm interested to see new OC Tim Beck and his QB, Diego Pavia. I think the Commodores keep it close. Virginia Tech 27 – Vanderbilt 24

AJ: To be honest, I am not too sure what to think about this matchup. Virginia Tech is receiving a lot of hype, but I am not sure if they are ready to take the next step. With Vanderbilt, it's a big year for Clark Lea and while he is taking over the Commodores' defense, I have questions about the offense. I believe Virginia Tech will have too much for Vanderbilt to handle. Virginia Tech 28 – Vanderbilt 17

JM: Tech by a bunch. I think they cover -13.5 and take care of things in Nashville. Vandy going in the wrong direction. Virginia Tech 34 – Vanderbilt 7

HM: Each year, I take moment to talk about how this is the worst part of my job. I really want to watch this game, but won't be able to pay attention to it for more than maybe 2-3 straight plays, because I'll be busy at work. But like a lot of you, I'm sure you'll be too locked in on South Carolina and Old Dominion to pay that close of attention to it. I'm sure Whittle will have it playing on his iPad though, so at least I'll have that going for me. Miami 28 – Florida 27

JW: Miami has put together a pretty darn good roster of players, led by transfer quarterback Cam Ward. There's hope in the Magic City (well, of the few in the city who pay attention) that Mario Cristobal has his team take the next step this season towards ACC title contention after stumbling to the finish line a year ago. And if there was ever a make-or-break type of game in a season-opener, this might be it for Florida. Miami 27 – Florida 20

AJ: This is a huge matchup for both teams but feels like a bigger game for Billy Napier and Florida. A home loss to rival Miami in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium would not be a great start to a brutal 2024 schedule for the Gators. Miami is a 2.5-point favorite, but the Gators will kick a late field goal to take down the Hurricanes. Florida 27 – Miami 24

JM: The white out in The Swamp only for Miami to wear white. I don't think Florida is going to be very good this season. The calls for Napier's jobs start after this blowout loss at home. Miami 34 – Florida 7

HM: This just goes to show how stupid preseason rankings are. Notre Dame is 13 spots higher and a 2.5-point underdog. I know it's in College Station, which means they'd be a slight favorite on a neutral site, but I would still pick the same type of result if this game was somewhere between the state of Texas and South Bend. Texas A&M 31 – Notre Dame 14

JW: I'm not sure how good either of these two teams are going to be over the course of the season. Both starting QBs in this game are coming off of major injuries, and I'm not sure how much I trust the Irish offensively in general. I do trust the ND defense, so I trust the under. Texas A&M 21 – Notre Dame 18

AJ: A big matchup at Texas A&M to open up the Mike Elko era in College Station. Last season, Conner Weigman was off to a great start before being injured and I believe he will pick up right where he left off. This one will be back and forth, but the Aggies take down the Irish with a late touchdown. Texas A&M 28 – Notre Dame 24

JM: Notre Dame struggles with the noise, but finds a way to get the job done. Notre Dame 31 – Texas A&M 28

HM: I'm not sure whether or not Michigan is going to be completing a lot of downfield passes this season. What that means for this matchup, I'm not sure. I like to think Michigan just does what they've done for the last few years and just mash the football. It's a 21.5-point spread, and I don't think the Wolverines are going to bother trying to score much more than that. Michigan 24 – Fresno State 3

JW: New coach, a bunch of new players for Michigan, but also a ground game against a defense that was poor against the run a year ago. Low scoring, closer than maybe it should be because of a first-team preseason All-MWC QB for Fresno. Bulldogs hang tough. Michigan 24 – Fresno State 13

AJ: The defending national champions will open the season as a 20.5-point favorite at home versus Fresno State. The Wolverines did lose a lot from last year's team, but will have more than enough to secure a victory over the Bulldogs. Michigan 31 – Fresno State 10

JM: Fresno State shocks the world and beats Michigan. Fresno State 21 – Michigan 17

HM: You may have noticed I like the under on a lot of games this week. It's my Week 1 of college football rule of thumb that I don't know whether or not it's accurate, but I'm sticking to it: Teams need more time to gel on offense than they do on defense. Well, neither of these teams can play defense worth an eff. Still though, 64.5? LSU 34 – Southern Cal 30

JW: I'm looking forward to locking in on Sunday night to watch this game. Ever since I was young, I always had LSU as my second SEC team as I've loved watching them over the years in football and baseball. I'll always have a little spot in my heart for @sportsmommy74 and certainly want all the best for BAW as a coach. I'm not a hot take artist, but I'm still not sold on Lincoln Riley's coaching chops. LSU slows the Southern Cal passing attack enough. LSU 38 – Southern Cal 27

AJ: We will learn a lot about both teams on Sunday night as both have some questions marks heading into 2024. For LSU, they have to replace three first round draft picks on offense in QB Jayden Daniels and WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. LSU is currently a 4.5-point favorite, but I am leaning towards Southern Cal taking down the Tigers in a close one in Las Vegas. Southern Cal 28 – LSU 24

JM: I wish both teams could lose this one. Southern Cal by 3 touchdowns. LSU gets exposed. Southern Cal 35 – LSU 7

HM: For the last couple of years, Clemson's struggled to find any sort of consistency at quarterback and wide receiver. I think they're getting better at receiver with the freshmen they have this season. If Moore and Wesco can keep progressing and Antonio Williams can stay healthy, this team will probably be better than what we've seen lately. However, it's still early in the season and Georgia's definitely going to be really good. Georgia 28 – Clemson 17

JW: Teams don't have to be the best in the country week in and week out anymore, so the loser of this game will still have as good of a shot as any at making the 12-team college football playoff. Clemson isn't Clemson right now, but they don't need to be. They just need to navigate the rest of their season, which will include one, maybe two ranked opponents. Bulldogs not lopsidedly, but comfortably. Georgia 30 – Clemson 17

AJ: Another matchup in the opening week of the 2024 season where we will learn a lot about both teams. For Clemson, the big question for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers is if Cade Klubnik can take the next step this season. The Tigers are around a 12-point underdog tomorrow, but I believe the Bulldogs win by two touchdowns. Georgia 28 – Clemson 14

JM: UGA by three touchdowns as well. Clemson looks like a tune-up game for UGA. Georgia 42 – Clemson 6