South Carolina comes out of their bye week to take on the number one team in the SEC standings, the Aggies of Texas A&M. Last time we saw the Gamecocks, they were fresh off a dominant defensive performance against Oklahoma. As they enter the final stretch of their season, can South Carolina pull off the upset or will the Aggies continue to separate themselves in the conference?

Coming off a big win ove the LSU Tigers, Texas A&M is riding high this week as they travel to Columbia, South Carolina. Like the Gamecocks, the Aggies deploy a strong defense under new head coach Mike Elko, but an intriguing offense that could give South Carolina issues. The Aggies currently have two quarterbacks who offer different styles of play, but both have been effective at times so far this season. The Gamecocks will have to play a clean game on both sides of the ball to come away with a win on Saturday.

In a matchup that has a lot on the line for btoh squads on Saturday night, here’s how the SI Staff believes this one shakes out:

Alex Joyce: South Carolina 27, Texas A&M 24
I’ve gone back and forth on this game for a while now. I expect to see both Marcel Reed and Conner Weigman play on Saturday, but genuinely believe that Reed playing favors the Gamecocks defense more. South Carolina has one of the best defenses in the conference with veterans loaded everywhere. Offensively, the Gamecocks have to limit turnovers. That has been a big ask this season, but you can’t afford mistakes against this Aggie team. Ultimately, I think South Carolina plays complementary football on Saturday night. That combined with what will be an exciting home crowd and a little Beamer Ball, the Gamecocks pull off the upset for the signature win of the season at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Jonathan Williams: Texas A&M 30, South Carolina 24
South Carolina has certainly proved they are more than capable of competing with the top teams in this conference, however, this game boils down to the Aggies defense for me. I think both defenses are going to make plays on Saturday, but Texas A&M’s defensive front against South Carolina’s offensive line is the keynote matchup. I think the Aggies are going to cause some problems for the Gamecocks to cleanly operate on offense, and that’s going to be the deciding factor for this game.

Fisher Brewer: South Carolina 28, Texas A&M 21
The Gamecocks are riding a wave of positive momentum and have plenty of bulletin board material to fuel them in this matchup. Heading into a high-energy night atmosphere against a strong Texas A&M team, I believe South Carolina will come away with the win, making up for games they narrowly missed earlier in the season. Their defense has shown impressive ability to contain dual-threat quarterbacks, successfully limiting some of the nation’s most elite, which could be a key factor in this game.

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