The South Carolina Gamecocks face off against the Missouri Tigers in Week 4 as one of the premier matchups of the weekend. Shane Beamer and South Carolina entered the season with all kinds of expectations coming off a season where they just barely missed out on the College Football Playoff. Missouri and Eli Drinkwitz still can’t seem to get anyone to take them seriously after yet another hot start. However, the winner of this game will emerge as a perceived true contender. The loser may see their playoff hopes dashed early.

Given how important this game might just be for both teams, media members from A to Z Sports decided to weigh in, predicting the victor. Will LaNorris Sellers be back from his concussion? And will that even be good enough considering how good Missouri’s quarterback Beau Pribula has been playing? The picks are in and we’ll find out soon. Enjoy!

Missouri 27, South Carolina 19

The Missouri Tigers have a 24-5 record dating back to the beginning of the 2023 college football season, but they still can’t quite get the respect they deserve. They’re 3-0. They’ve outscored opponents 155-47 so far. Their quarterback Beau Pribula is averaging nearly nine yards per pass attempt and adding more than 25 rushing yards per game to go with it. The defense is playing lights out when it comes to stopping the pass. What’s not to like here?

Meanwhile, South Carolina just lost to Vanderbilt after quarterback LaNorris Sellers went out with a concussion. The pass efficiency really wasn’t there even before he went down. The defense that replaced far too many veteran this year is middling at best. Still, if Sellers is indeed back from his concussion, South Carolina likely keeps this closer than expected. Missouri’s one weakness has been consistently stopping the run, where they rank 94th. in rush success allowed. If Sellers does open things up with his legs this stays a one-possession game throughout. – Travis May, A to Z Sports CFB & NFL Draft Managing Editor

Missouri 27, South Carolina 20

With or without LaNorris Sellers, the South Carolina offense has been a letdown so far this season. Aside from the occasional big play from wide receiver Nyck Harbor, this is an offense that is desperate for some explosive plays. The run game has also been very underwhelming, and they will need to lean into former Utah State transfer Rahsul Faison a bit more. There needs to be some self-examination for the Gamecocks in terms of identity, especially against a Missouri team that is better than many people projected before the season.

The Tigers are led by former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula, who has been playing at a high level so far this season. In three games, he’s thrown for 791 yards and seven touchdowns, completing over 76 percent of his passes, while also adding another three scores on the ground. Both defenses have some holes in them, so this game could come down to which quarterback makes one or two big plays in the most important moments. The odds have to be in Pribula’s favor right now. – Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports Notre Dame

Missouri 35, South Carolina 21

Even with South Carolina’s QB getting hurt against Vanderbilt, I think the Commodores would have won regardless. The Gamecocks just didn’t look that great, and somehow the Missouri Tigers look much better than everyone thought they would. Now, Missouri still has some questions that need to be answered, but they’re much better than I thought they would be, for sure.

All of the numbers in this one pretty much point towards the Tigers having the advantage. They have the better defense, better offense, and better special teams statistically. In all of the big efficiency stats, the Tigers rank at least top-15, outside of their rush defense, which ranks 85th, and their scoring defense, which ranks 39th. Sure, they haven’t played the biggest competition, but some of those things you can still see on film. I think Missouri is the better team, and they win this one. Missouri 35, South Carolina 21. – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma

Missouri 27, South Carolina 13

Assuming LaNorris Sellers is out, the South Carolina Gamecocks will need to play a perfect game to capture this win. They’re major underdogs for a reason, and while sixth-year senior quarterback Luke Doty could be the chippy underdog who wills his team to a season-defining upset, it’s a long shot. This Missouri team is proving to be a force themselves. South Carolina will be keyed into the nation’s second-most productive rusher, Ahmed Hardy, and that strategy will likely decide how much of a chance they have. If Missouri gets to rolling downhill and Doty can’t keep the chains moving, then South Carolina will be playing from behind and without the x-factor needed to overcome it. – Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports LSU

Missouri 27, South Carolina 20

Missouri has impressed so far this season, decimating the lesser opponents and handling Kansas early on, too. With South Carolina, the preseason excitement has started to wear off. The offense has been fairly stagnant at times, and there’s inconsistency in their secondary defensively. I’m interested to see if QB LaNorris Sellers plays in this matchup, but either way, I lean toward Mizzou given how dominant they’ve looked so far. – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports LSU

Final Score Predictions for Missouri vs. South Carolina

The A to Z Sports team feels pretty confident in Missouri for this game against South Carolina. Just like the betting markets, our team expects this to be about a 10-point deficit, projecting an average final score of 29-19 in favor of Mizzou. If the game actually plays out this way then Missouri might finally begin to get the shine they’ve deserved three straight seasons in a row. If South Carolina somehow bounces back, they’ll assuredly fly up the rankings given how talented LaNorris Sellers’ and his weapons are perceived to be.

We’ll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!