Notre Dame vs South Carolina Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for Gator Bowl 2022 (Fighting Irish Rush Can't Be Stopped)

Notre Dame vs South Carolina Game Info

2022 NCAA College Football Game — TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) vs. No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)
Date: Friday, Dec. 30, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue: TIAA Bank Field — Jacksonville, FL
Coverage: ESPN

The 2022 NCAA college football bowl game matchups have been revealed, including the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl between the No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and No. 19 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Notre Dame aims to end its campaign with some positivity after losing to USC, 38-27, on Nov. 26. Meanwhile, South Carolina enters this matchup after being victorious for the third time in its last four games with a 31-30 victory over Clemson.

Can Notre Dame close out its season with a win at TIAA Bank Field? Or will South Carolina win its seventh bowl contest since 2011?

Notre Dame vs South Carolina Odds & Spread

All NCAAF betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: ND: (-146) | SC: (+122)
Spread: ND: -2.5 (-115) | SC: +2.5 (-105)
Total: 51.5 — Over: (-114) | Under: (-106)

Notre Dame enters this contest as a slight favorite on the spread and moneyline. This Gator Bowl clash also features a total of 51.5, which is about average compared to this year's bowl games.

Notre Dame vs South Carolina Prediction & Pick

While South Carolina has played well recently, its run defense has left a lot to be desired this season. Not only do the Gamecocks surrender the 21st-most rushing yards in the nation (197.2), but they've also allowed an average of 254.3 yards on the ground over their last three games. If that wasn't bad enough, the 5.0 yards per carry that they surrender is also among the worst in the nation (No. 113).

The good news for Notre Dame is that its rushing attack is quite strong. The Fighting Irish put up 182.8 rushing yards per game (No. 41), with a lot of that having to do with names like Audric Estime and Logan Diggs in the backfield.

Considering how Diggs has toppled 100 yards three times in his last six games while Estime has also hit the century mark thrice this season, the duo will be key to Notre Dame's Gator Bowl success.

While I expect South Carolina to put up a solid fight, I'm going with Notre Dame as the victor.

Final Score Prediction: Notre Dame: 30 | South Carolina: 27

Notre Dame vs South Carolina Betting Trends

- Notre Dame is 5-1 straight up in its last six games.
- South Carolina is 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games.
- The total has hit the over in each of Notre Dame's last six games.
- The total has hit the over in six of South Carolina's last nine games.

Notre Dame vs South Carolina Best Bet

All NCAAF betting lines, odds and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.

There's a good chance that defense will be an afterthought in this one. Neither team's defenders have played well lately, proven by Notre Dame allowing 30-plus points in two of its last three games, whereas South Carolina has surrendered an average of 35.3 in its last three.

Furthering the likelihood of a shootout, the Fighting Irish have experienced the over in each of their last six games while the Gamecocks have seen the total exceeded in six of their last nine outings.

With the pressure being extremely high in a bowl environment, expect no shortage of points in Jacksonville.

Bet: Over 51.5 Points (-114)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.