Predict the outcome of Kentucky vs. South Carolina

The Kentucky Wildcats opened up the 2024 season with a dominating win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, but it certainly wasn’t in typical fashion.

The Cats’ first game of the regular season was set to start at 7:55 p.m. on Saturday night, but after scattered storms throughout the day, lightning delayed the start until 10:05 p.m.

Despite an uneven start, Kentucky got into a rhythm in the second quarter and carried that over into the second half, but once again, the game was delayed due to lightning just before midnight. Ultimately, the two teams decided to call it quits with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter and Kentucky holding a 31-0 lead over USM.

The shutout was only the second in Stoops’ 12 seasons in Lexington—the other coming by the same score (31-0) against Youngstown State in 2022. It was the first shutout in a season opener for Kentucky since 2009 and the first in a home opener since 1993.

Kentucky’s upcoming opponent, the South Carolina Gamecocks, didn’t perform quite as well in Week 1. The Gamecocks narrowly defeated the Old Dominion Monarchs in Columbia by a score of 23-19. 14 of those 23 points came from touchdowns scored after the Monarchs turned the ball over twice inside their own five-yard line. It was an ugly game for Shane Beamer’s squad, who now has much more to prove in Week 2.

Regardless of the Week 1 outcomes, Stoops is certain to have his team ready to play in Week 2. After beating South Carolina seven times in an eight-year span covering 2014-2021, Stoops’ Kentucky teams have lost two in a row since Beamer took over in Columbia in 2022. The 2022 game was without star quarterback Will Levis, who was injured, but last year’s loss was a tough pill to swallow for the Big Blue Nation.

The Cats have won five of their last seven SEC openers, including three in a row. They’ve opened up as early 10-point favorites via DraftKings, so the expectation is surely a win in this one. However, Stoops will need to prove he can take Beamer down in order to secure this crucial, must-win game.

Can the Cats regain their edge over Beamer’s Gamecocks?

Let us know in the poll below and in the comments section!