Kentucky vs. South Carolina Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 projection · last season, roster and staff
Where South Carolina gets at Kentucky: 20th at hitting chunk plays, against a unit 55th at keeping everything in front of them. Kentucky projects no clear way in against South Carolina.
How
SCattacks
UK
- 1
Take shots
hitting chunk plays · projected
SC#20 of 138UK#55 of 138
The two teams
Kentucky
Kentucky is in year 1 under Will Stein. The way in is 113th at hitting chunk plays, and they are 109th at keeping a clean pocket.
Kentucky has not played an FBS opponent yet, so this is the projection: last season regressed toward the mean, plus returning production, recruiting, talent and whether the staff is the same one.
Projected soft spots
- Offensehitting chunk plays#113projected
- Offensesacks and tackles for loss#109projected
South Carolina
South Carolina is in year 6 under Shane Beamer, whose offenses have been balanced. The strengths are on both sides of the ball, led by 8th at defending the run.
On fourth down he goes for it about as often as his peers do from the same spots (+2.5%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −21.2% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
South Carolina has played 1 game against a genuinely tough slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Defenserunning it#8projected
- Defensegetting stopped at the line#15projected
- Offensehitting chunk plays#20projected
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (SC Elo 1742, UK Elo 1440 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects SC -14.3 (82% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
UK88th8thSCSC9th67thUKThrough the air
UK74th18thSCSC65th85thUKOn the ground
UK99th11thSCSC3rd61stUKStaying on the field
UK134th27thSCSC7th125thUKTaking care of it
UK75th108thSCSC48th22ndUK
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profilesSouth Carolina leads 22–14–1 · South Carolina has won 4 straight · 51% have been one-possession games
| UK | SC | |
|---|---|---|
| +5.1 (#51) | CORE overall | +23.8 (#9) |
| -1 / -6 | offense / defense | +12 / -12 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win Kentucky vs. South Carolina?
Gridpex's model favors South Carolina with a 82% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for Kentucky vs. South Carolina?
The model projects South Carolina by 14.3.
What time is Kentucky vs. South Carolina and what channel is it on?
Time TBD, at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →