USC vs. Southern Miss – Thursday
The Gamecocks didn’t receive any favors when North Carolina bailed out on USC to play LSU in Atlanta. ESPN officials helped USC land Southern Miss as a replacement, arguably a tougher opening-game draw for the Gamecocks than N.C. State the past two seasons.
The Golden Eagles were picked by most preseason magazines to win their division in Conference USA, and coach Larry Fedora has talked about surprising the Gamecocks on national TV. But unless Southern Miss improves defensively (25.8 points and 261 passing yards per game in 2009), USC will win its 11th consecutive opener.
Prediction: USC 24, Southern Miss 13
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