2024 College Football: Best bets for Rivalry Week

Known as “Rivalry Week,” Week 14 represents the conclusion of the regular season for most college football teams, and YouBet will look to finish strong by turning a profit with a four-pack of picks. All lines courtesy of BetMGM; times listed as Eastern.

South Carolina at Clemson (12 p.m.): South Carolina +2.5

South Carolina is the best bet of Week 14. The Gamecocks entered the year with a dynamic offensive weapon in running back Raheim Sanders and arguably the top defensive line in college football led by Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart, but freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers was a liability and didn’t play well at times early in the season. But his significant improvement, especially over the previous five games, has allowed South Carolina to develop into a legitimate playoff contender.

Sellers has thrown for 1,142 yards, 12 touchdowns, and two interceptions over the last four games, and if any further upsets happen to teams ranked ahead of 15th-ranked South Carolina, it has a viable chance to make the 12-team playoff by beating Clemson. We’ve been impressed by their road prowess, crushing Oklahoma and Vanderbilt in the last two away games, and South Carolina’s dominance of Texas A&M in early November was no fluke.

Clemson hasn’t played a ranked team since losing 34-3 to Georgia in the opener, and it surrendereded 210 rushing yards in a November home loss to Louisville and won’t be able to slow down the high-powered Gamecocks.

Tennessee at Vanderbilt (12 p.m.): Vanderbilt +11

Vanderbilt is 7-1 ATS as an underdog, recording outright wins versus Virginia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, and Auburn, and the 6-5 Commodores proved they still have some fight last week, losing 24-17 at LSU. South Carolina is the only team to beat them by more than 10 points this year, and we want no part in laying double digits with a Tennessee team that is 1-5 ATS in its last six SEC games.

The Volunteers can guarantee themselves a spot in the 12-team playoff with a victory, but they’re nowhere near as explosive as in recent seasons, averaging 23 points per game in the SEC this year. They’ve been bad at covering big spreads and will be playing only their third road game since September, losing as a double-digit favorite to Arkansas and 31-17 to Georgia. The Vols defense probably will prove to be the difference, but Vanderbilt gave Texas (27-24 loss) and Alabama (40-35 win) everything they could handle at home and have every chance to be competitive against its in-state rival this year.

NC State at North Carolina (3:30 p.m.): North Carolina -3.5

A well-respected veteran in his second stop at UNC, Mack Brown was fired this week, but he’ll coach the regular-season finale against its in-state rival. And one can expect a top showing from the Tar Heels for their beloved coach.

Both teams can be wildly inconsistent. After winning the first three games, including a notable road win over Minnesota, North Carolina lost four in a row. The Tar Heels rebounded stylishly in the next three games, scoring a combined 107 points in smart wins over Virginia, Florida St., and Wake Forest, but they failed to show up and got drubbed at Boston College last week. 

NC State lacks the firepower of its in-state rival, entering with a 5-6 record and a two-game losing streak, and North Carolina will relish the opportunity to deny them a bowl opportunity and honor Brown with a strong showing.

Notre Dame at USC (3:30 p.m.): USC +7.5

Notre Dame outmuscled Army and Navy with its ground game and defense in recent weeks, but it’ll need more balance to win in the Coliseum. And we lack faith in quarterback Riley Leonard, who wasn’t sharp in completing 14 of 27 passes against Florida St. three weeks ago and threw only 13 passes last week. 

Points are attractive with the inconsistent Trojans, who have been good at home this year, recording convincing wins over Nebraska, Rutgers, and Wisconsin and losing to fourth-ranked Penn St. in overtime. We like the resolve 6-5 USC displayed last week, outscoring UCLA 10-0 in the fourth quarter of a comeback road win, and quarterback Jayden Maiava has played well since taking over two games ago, completing 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns in the last home matchup against Nebraska. We’ll look for the Trojans to hang tough with a Notre Dame team that hasn’t been tested since late September.