Kent State Golden Flashes vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 9/5/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026

Location: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Gamecocks (-36.5)

Total/Over-Under: 53.5

The Kent State Golden Flashes (5-7 last season) are traveling to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, September 5, 2026 where they will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (4-8 last year). Kent State is 36.5-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The total comes in at 53.5.

The Kent State Golden Flashes finished the season with a 5-7 record. In their last contest, the Golden Flashes played against the NIU Huskies and walked away with a win by a score of 35-31. The Kent State Golden Flashes ran the ball 36 times and amassed 231 yds, which earned them an average of 6.4 yds per attempt. In all, they tallied 58 plays which converted into 438 yards. Kent State conceded 5 pass completions on 10 tries for a total of 27 yds, and a completion rate of 50.0%. Against the run, the Golden Flashes gave up 307 yds on 58 attempts, which is 5.3 yards per run surrendered.

The Golden Flashes racked up 3,532 total yards for the prior year. Kent State amassed 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. They surrendered the football 13 different times. Kent State totaled 172 1st downs as an offense, and they were flagged for 73 infractions for 586 yards. As a team they maintained an average of 97.3 yards on the ground, giving them a rank of 131st in college football. Concerning scoring points, the Kent State Golden Flashes held an average of 21.3 points per contest.

The Golden Flashes ranked 128th in college football when it comes to their opponents scoring, allowing 33.6 points per game. They gave up an average of 4.6 yards per running attempt and 191.4 rushing yards per contest throughout last year. In total, they allowed 2,297 yards via the ground game in 12 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Golden Flashes gave up 2,832 yds which had them sitting in 74th in the nation. In their 12 games, they gave up 236.0 yards per game through the air in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 59.6%. They allowed 427.4 yards per outing putting them 125th in the nation. They surrendered 25 throwing touchdowns as well as 22 rushing touchdowns.

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The Gamecocks wrapped up their season holding a 4-8 mark. When they last stepped on the field, the Gamecocks went home defeated by a final of 28-14 when they played the Clemson Tigers. South Carolina surrendered 40 running attempts for 147 yds (3.7 yds per rush). The Gamecocks pass defense gave up a completion rate of 61.5%, surrendering 268 yds on 24 out of 39 through the air. The Gamecocks finished the game with 422 yds while running 61 plays (6.9 yards per play). South Carolina ran the ball for 2.2 yards per attempt, totaling 41 yds on 19 attempts.

When it comes to their ability to score points, the Gamecocks earned a ranking of 104th in college football by scoring 22.7 points per game. The South Carolina Gamecocks maintained an average of 336.3 yards/game, ranking them 109th in college football. The South Carolina offense racked up 688 yds of penalties on 88 violations, which was good for 40th in Division 1 in terms of giving up free yards. They threw 11 interceptions while surrendering 7 fumbles and they earned 211 first downs. For the previous season, the Gamecocks threw for a total of 2,704 passing yards along with averaging 225.3 throwing yards per game, which had them ranked 67th in D-1. They averaged 111.1 yards per game via the rush and rushed for 1,333 yards for the season.

The Gamecocks allowed 22.1 points per game, which had them ranked 45th in the country. South Carolina surrendered a total of 1,640 yards rushing (136.7 yards/game) in addition to 13 touchdowns rushing last season. They conceded 13 touchdowns from the passing game in addition to 216.3 yards per game, which had them sitting 59th in the country. The Gamecocks defense took the field for 806 plays, which had them sitting 40th in Division 1. They totaled 10 fumbles and 12 picks for the previous season. Last year, they conceded 265 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Golden Flashes/Gamecocks college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Gamecocks -36.5

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