South-Carolina
Alabama vs. South Carolina prediction, odds and best bet for CFB Week 7: Can Tide bounce back?
Has the shock worn off yet, Bama fans?
It hasn’t been an easy week for anyone associated with the Crimson Tide following last weekend’s first-of-its-kind loss to Vanderbilt. The Alabama defense did not show up in Nashville, and it needs to improve in a hurry if the team is going to qualify for the SEC championship game.
The Tide can turn the page on the Vandy game this weekend when they host South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is a big favorite on Saturday. Keep reading for the odds plus our Alabama vs. South Carolina prediction and best bet.
Alabama vs. South Carolina Prediction
As crushing as last week’s result was, there is too much pride within the Alabama locker room to let that feeling carry over to the next game. One loss does not mean the end of the season, especially now that the College Football Playoff has been extended to 12 teams.
Alabama (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) still has everything to play for, and it’s a safe bet that the players will give their best effort early on Saturday to set the tone against South Carolina (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS). They want to prove to the home fans and themselves that they’re still an elite team with a chance to win conference and national championships.
All those factors make the Alabama first half -11.5 a strong wager.
Both teams have shown the ability to light up the scoreboard, and this should be a good setting for both teams to do that. Alabama is likely to improve, but is one week long enough for the Crimson Tide to make major improvements? Probably not.
South Carolina (2-3 to the Over) didn’t score a touchdown in last week’s loss to Ole Miss so the coaching staff will have the offensive players’ attention throughout this week in practice. Expect that to lead to an improved performance on that side of the ball against Alabama, which is 4-1 to the Over.
If you believe South Carolina will bounce back and Alabama’s defense isn’t going to be great one week after the Vanderbilt debacle, the third pick above is a must-bet for your portfolio this weekend.
Alabama has given up at least 20 points in nine consecutive SEC games. The streak includes the previous two weeks against Georgia and Vanderbilt in which the Tide gave up a combined 74 points.
CFB Week 7 Alabama vs. South Carolina odds
Point spreads available before last weekend’s games had Alabama favored by more than 21 points. Following Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt, some online sportsbooks lowered the spread to under 21 points, but those numbers didn’t last long.
Now, Alabama is a 21- or 21.5-point favorite across the board. The over/under is listed anywhere from 50.5 to 51.5.
Alabama vs. South Carolina moneyline odds analysis for Week 7
Why Alabama could win as the favorite
Best odds: -1700 odds at Caesars Sportsbook
As much as it hurt Alabama to lose to Vanderbilt, at least the game wasn’t played in Tuscaloosa. Returning to the friendly atmosphere of Bryant-Denny Stadium will be a major advantage for Alabama against South Carolina.
The Tide led the SEC with a 65-3 record in home games over the last 10 seasons and are 3-0 this year. One of those wins was a thrilling victory over Georgia two weeks ago.
The Alabama football world is not ending under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide are going to be fine. They have a supremely talented roster with an elite QB in Jalen Milroe who can guide the offense to a level South Carolina cannot match even if the defense continues to struggle.
Why South Carolina could win as the underdog
Best odds: +1100 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Like Alabama, South Carolina is coming off a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks can expect
There is so much parity in the SEC, that few outcomes are a surprise.
For instance, South Carolina blew out Kentucky at Kentucky. Kentucky beat Ole Miss at Ole Miss, and then Ole Miss beat South Carolina at South Carolina. It’s almost like playing at home is a disadvantage.
Could that bode well for the Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa? Don’t count out any team in this unpredictable era of college football.
If Alabama’s defense doesn’t right the ship, South Carolina has a good enough offense to keep up on the scoreboard. The Gamecocks have scored at least 30 points in two SEC games.
Like Alabama, South Carolina is coming off a disappointing performance. The Gamecocks can expect to perform better than they did last week against Ole Miss.
If they make it a game in the fourth quarter against Alabama, will the Crimson Tide players tighten up thinking about the potential of another crushing loss?
All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.
“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”
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Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.
Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.
“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.
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“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”
Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.
Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.
Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.
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Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.
“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”
Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.
“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”
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Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.
“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”
Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.
Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).
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Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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