The SEC college football season opens tonight when the Texas A&M Aggies take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the SEC Network. Currently the odds for the game have the host Gamecocks favored by double digits.

This will be the first meeting between these two schools, who are now SEC conference mates. Both schools are looking to replace their quarterbacks as Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw both are now i the NFL.

South Carolina has national championship aspirations this season, coming in ranked No. 9 in both the USA Today and AP Top 25 polls. Obviously the polls don't mean much anymore with the college football playoffs being introduced this year, but you'd have to think the committee is going to have to use something as a barometer. 

The Gamecocks have had three straight 11-win seasons and are expected to have another solid run at an SEC title this year. With only a handful of road games this season, Steve Spurrier and the boys are poised for a trip to Atlanta and the SEC title game. The Gamecocks bring back one of the better offensive lines in the country with 113 combined starts between the five up front. That's going to be a huge advantage for them in this one. A&M also has a pretty solid offensive line coming back with 89 career starts among them as well.

Kyle Allen, the true frosh QB for A&M, should get the start. Dylan Thompson will get the star for South Carolina. Thompson will hold a very big advantage in this matchup as he enters his fifth year. 

If you're looking to get down on A&M in this one on the spread, make note they are just 2-11-1 against the number in road/neutral openers dating back to 1999. 

The Gamecocks have picked up seven straight home openers by an average of better than three touchdowns. We'd be shocked if they won this game by three possessions, but do think a 10-13 point win is in the books for the Gamecocks. Their defense is going to be too much for the freshman Allen to handle and South Carolina is very good at home.

Free Pick: South Carolina 27, Texas A&M 14

 College Football Free Picks: Texas A&M vs South Carolina Betting

What college football bettors need to know about betting Texas A&M Aggies vs South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday (8/28/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Bryan Leonard with added insight from Brady Kannon.

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