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Tennessee football: SEC and top 25 picks and gambling bets for Week 1 of 2021

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium during the fourth quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers. Florida won 47 to 21. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium during the fourth quarter of the game between the Florida Gators and the Tennessee Volunteers. Florida won 47 to 21. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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COLUMBIA, SC – AUGUST 29: A general view of outside the stadium before the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on August 29, 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC – AUGUST 29: A general view of outside the stadium before the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium on August 29, 2013 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Eastern Illinois Panthers at South Carolina Gamecocks (ESPN+/SECN+)

Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. ET; Williams-Brice Stadium; Columbia, S.C.

Just like Tennessee football, the South Carolina Gamecocks are entering a new era. Coming off a 2-8 season, they have fired Will Muschamp, and Shane Beamer is now taking over as head coach of the program. USC was 2-8 last year and is going back to an offensive-minded coach, which it enjoyed for 11 years under Steve Spurrier.

Lining up across from the on the other side is an FCS program that has failed to win more than one game in each of the past two years. As Adam Cushing enters his third season with the Eastern Illinois Panthers, he is coming off 1-11 and 1-5 seasons.

Simply put, this is a game between two programs way down and looking to rebound, although, even relative to their level of play, USC has a lot more to be excited about. Welcome to our first FCS-FBS matchup on here.

Prediction

There’s no line to bet on here, as it’s a game involving an FCS team. However, we’re still making a straight-up pick. The pick here is obvious. South Carolina is in no danger of being upset. There are FCS teams who could have pulled that off, but Eastern Illinois isn’t one of them.

South Carolina: 41 Eastern Illinois: 0

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