Auburn Tigers vs South Carolina Gamecocks SEC Championship Picks & Predictions

Auburn Tigers vs South Carolina Gamecocks
Saturday, 12/4/10, 4:00 PM EDT, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Auburn -5
Current Betting Line: Auburn -5
Opening Total: 61
Current Total: 61.5

Auburn Tigers Football — The Auburn Tigers have defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks five straight times and are five-point favorites in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday

Auburn and South Carolina meet in a rematch of a September 25 contest with the SEC Championship on the line. The Tigers won the first meeting, 35-27 in Jordan-Hare Stadium and will be playing in their first SEC title game since 2004. Head coach Gene Chizik is making it very clear to his team that the earlier meeting means nothing on Saturday. “This is a brand new team,” he stated. “That was eight or nine weeks ago.” It’s also a possibility that his team may be drained from overcoming a 24-0 deficit last week to win an improbable road game at Alabama. Auburn is the only team nationally that has beaten five teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, which is impressive due to no team outside of the SEC West beating more than two. The squad is 7-1 ATS versus conference opponents this year and is a five-point favorite on the college football lines page.

The Tigers have certainly overcome a lot of obstacles to get into this contest, trailing in eight of their 12 victories and the ongoing investigation of Heisman front-running quarterback Cameron Newton. He has all but wrapped up the biggest award in college football and now hopes to lead the program to its second BCS title game. Auburn has already set single-season records for points (499) and total offense (5,881), while leading the SEC by averaging 296.4 yards on the ground against conference opponents. The school has also played 12 games in its history in domed stadiums, including eight bowl games. The Tigers are 5-6-1 all-time in domes stadiums.

South Carolina just finished its 19th regular season in the SEC and will be looking to win its first championship in the conference on Saturday. The Gamecocks appear to be ready for the challenge, outscoring Florida, Troy and Clemson by a 134-45 margin, giving them much needed confidence in gaining revenge. “I think we’re ready,” said coach Steve Spurrier. “These guys have proven they like competing on the big stage.” During its recent three-game winning streak, the defense has come up big in allowing just 246.7 total yards a game. South Carolina is 2-0 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points this season.

The Gamecocks will be meeting the Tigers for the second time this season and the 10th time in series history. South Carolina is 1-7-1 all-time against Auburn, losing five straight in the process. Spurrier has enjoyed better success against the Tigers, posting a 10-6 record, which includes a 10-3 mark while he was head coach at Florida. It’s also important to point out that the South Carolina program is 1-3 when meeting an opponent for the second time in a season, but that last occurred in 1945.

Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Tigers are 4-0 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points, while the Gamecocks are 4-1 ATS versus a team with a winning record.