Tennessee vs. South Carolina prediction, odds, time: Week 8 college football picks from proven model

No. 11 Tennessee makes the trip to Columbia for a pivotal SEC matchup against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Volunteers (6-1, 3-1 SEC) have been one of the surprise stories of the 2026 season after beating Alabama 26-10 last week to put themselves firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation. South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) started slow, but upset Florida 38-19 on the road two weeks ago, and now its looks to keep that momentum rolling following a bye week.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Tennessee vs. South Carolina odds, with the over/under at 50.5. Before making any South Carolina vs. Tennessee picks, check out the Tennessee vs. South Carolina predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

After simulating Tennessee vs. South Carolina 10,000 times, SportsLine model is going Under 50.5 points at betting apps. This is a physical SEC matchup between teams with defensive identities, and both head coaches have shown a willingness to grind out close, low-scoring games in conference play.

Tennessee has leaned primarily on its running attack, while South Carolina's defense has given the Gamecocks a chance to stay in every game despite their 3-3 record. The model projects a one-score finish, and a total of 50.5 is achievable but not guaranteed in this kind of tight SEC battle. Every game this season has gone Under the total for Tennessee this season, perfect six for six. South Carolina's last game also went Under the total. The model projects the Under to hit 52% of the time.

In addition to going Under on the total, the model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Tennessee vs. South Carolina, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that's on a 59-49 run on top-rated CFB picks, and find out.