Notre Dame vs. South Carolina game picks, predictions: Gator Bowl schedule, odds

Picks and predictions for Notre Dame vs. South Carolina in the Gator Bowl as the college football bowl schedule moves towards New Year's Day

This year's Gator Bowl game features two teams that finished the season better than they began it as Notre Dame and South Carolina meet up with the college football bowl schedule moving towards the new year.

Marcus Freeman stumbled out of the gate in his debut season with the Fighting Irish, starting 3-3 with losses to Ohio State and Marshall, but won three straight after that and five in a row late in the season before falling in a close one against rival USC in the season finale, finishing 8-4 on the year.

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Shane Beamer had his ups and downs in Year 2 at South Carolina, starting out 2-2 with consecutive losses to Arkansas and Georgia, allowing over 40 points in each, but winning four straight and capping it all off with two monster wins: dropping 63 points on No. 5 Tennessee and knocking off No. 8 ranked rival Clemson.

Both teams lost notable players for the game, whether by transfer or opt out.

South Carolina is down tight ends Austin Stogner, who went back to Oklahoma, and Jaheim Bell, who is headed to Florida State, while Gamecocks running back Marshawn Lloyd also entered the transfer portal.

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Notre Dame lost quarterback Drew Pyne, who went 8-2 as starter and threw 22 touchdown passes following Tyler Buchner's injury early in the year, to the portal and star tight end Michael Mayer, the engine behind the Irish offensive success, is out as he prepares to go pro.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game, along with the latest betting lines and trends between the Irish and Gamecocks.

Gator Bowl 2022: Notre Dame vs. South Carolina game picks, predictions

Notre Dame vs. South Carolina Gator Bowl picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Notre Dame prediction: The computers are siding with the Fighting Irish, who have the 67.5 percent chance to win the game and beat their SEC counterparts.

South Carolina prediction: That leaves the Gamecocks with an outside 32.5 percent shot to pull off the upset, according to the latest analytics projections.

Point spread: Notre Dame -2.5 (-118) | South Carolina +2.5 (-110) according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 51.5 points | Over -110 | Under -118

Moneyline: Notre Dame -143 | South Carolina +110

Notre Dame ATS record: 6-6

South Carolina ATS record: 7-5

Spread consensus pick: Notre Dame -2.5 (53 percent of bets going with the Fighting Irish over the Gamecocks)

Score prediction: Team Rankings estimates that Notre Dame will defeat South Carolina by a projected score of 26.2 to 25.0 (South Carolina +2.5, Under 51.5)

How to watch, stream: The game is set for Fri., Dec. 30 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on the main ESPN network and streams live on fuboTV (Try for free).

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College Football Playoff rankings

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. Ohio State
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. Clemson
8. Utah
9. Kansas State
10. USC
11. Penn State
12. Washington
13. Florida State
14. Oregon State
15. Oregon
16. Tulane
17. LSU
18. UCLA
19. South Carolina
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. Mississippi State
23. NC State
24. Troy
25. UTSA

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