All signs point to Spurrier, Gamecocks

It’s rare when Steve Spurrier finds himself in this position.

South Carolina has not been a home underdog since spanking top-ranked Alabama 35-21 in 2010. But as of Friday, most books had Georgia as a 6½-point road favorite for today’s crucial Southeastern Conference showdown in Columbia, S.C.

Spurrier’s team has covered the spread in each of its past four home ’dog situations since 2009. The Gamecocks won outright in three of those four games.

South Carolina looked bad in a 52-28 season-opening loss to Texas A&M, and Georgia looked outstanding in a 45-21 home win over Clemson. Bulldogs coach Mark Richt had an open date last week to prepare for this, and the Gamecocks won a 33-23 decision over East Carolina.

Normally, an open date is a good thing, but that might not be the case at this early point in the season. If anything, the time off has given Georgia players more time than needed to read press clippings from the media gushing over the Week 1 performance.

The Bulldogs did not get healthy during the off week, either, as wide receivers Jonathon Rumph, Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley aren’t expected to play today.

South Carolina junior running back Mike Davis was not 100 percent healthy in the opener, when he rushed for only 15 yards on six carries, but he responded by rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns against East Carolina. Davis had a monster game in a 41-30 loss at Georgia last season, producing 198 yards on 20 touches (16 carries, four receptions).

Spurrier has dominated Georgia during his coaching career, compiling a 15-6 straight-up record. In backing South Carolina, we have all sorts of edges, including a huge advantage in the coaching department. We also have the revenge angle, the home-field factor and the points in supporting the underdog.

Quarterback Dylan Thompson can exploit the Georgia secondary, and I’m also expecting a big game from Davis.

This is Bulldogs quarterback Hutson Mason’s fourth career start, but it’s his first in an SEC road game. With the hostile environment playing a major role, expect Thompson to outplay Mason and help the Gamecocks pull the upset.

Three more plays for today (home team in CAPS):

■ Arkansas (+1) over TEXAS TECH — Arkansas has faced a tough road game this season, going to Auburn and acquitting itself well two weeks ago. The Razorbacks went to halftime tied with the Tigers, who eventually pulled away for a 45-21 win. But we clearly saw an improved Arkansas squad, one that destroyed Nicholls State 73-7 last weekend.

Junior quarterback Brandon Allen, who played through a painful shoulder injury for most of 2013, is healthy and improved. Allen has a 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through two games. The strength of coach Bret Bielema’s team is the ground attack, featuring two of the SEC’s best running backs in Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams. Texas Tech has been fortunate to get past two cupcakes, beating Central Arkansas 42-35 before slipping past Texas-El Paso 30-26.

■ WASHINGTON (-13) over Illinois — More than anything else, this is a play against Illinois, which has limped to a 1-8 record straight up and ATS in nine road games for coach Tim Beckman.

The Huskies have not been impressive in two narrow victories, but they didn’t have starting quarterback Cyler Miles (suspension) in Week 1. Miles accounted for four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing, in a 59-52 win over Eastern Washington last week. I made Washington a 17-point favorite.

■ Minnesota (+16) over TEXAS CHRISTIAN — TCU has lost outright in 14 of its past 22 games. The Horned Frogs are 4-12-1 against the spread in their past 17 games as double-digit favorites. On the flip side, Minnesota has covered the number in four consecutive games as a double-digit underdog.

Although Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner got banged up in last week’s win over Middle Tennessee, he has practiced the past few days and will play. Minnesota has a strong ground attack, led by David Cobb, who has rushed for 291 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per carry in the first two games. The double-digit ’dog has a decent chance to win outright.

Last week: 2-2 against the spread

Season: 3-4

Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.