Greg McElroy, an ESPN college football analyst, took a look at South Carolina’s odds of leaving Athens with a win on the “Always College Football” podcast.

“We know how this rivalry has gone in the past, it’s been funky,” McElroy said. “We’ve seen great Georgia teams lose to average South Carolina teams and vice versa.”

McElroy says it is unwise to count the Gamecocks out, although he does not believe that they will win. He cited Georgia’s health issues as a reason that South Carolina could hang around in the game.

“Javon Bullard has an ankle sprain, as of right now it’s unknown if he’ll be available,” McElroy said. “Wide receiver Ladd McConkey has been out the last couple weeks due to a back injury that was suffered at the end of fall camp. You’ve got Dillon Bell, who is filling in at running back as a wide receiver.”

He believes that dealing with attrition is a good early season test for the Bulldogs as they get younger players on the field.

In terms of how South Carolina can make this game competitive, McElroy looks at the quarterback position as a starting point.

“Spencer Rattler has to be absolutely out of control,” McElroy said. “And he has been excellent so far this year. It was not ideal circumstances for Rattler [against UNC], but I think he showed some of his maturity and that he was going to hang in there and battle.”

McElroy said that Rattler did not look comfortable at all during last year’s Georgia game, as he went 13-for-25 for 118 yards and 2 interceptions. This time around, McElroy believes that Rattler is a far different quarterback.

McElroy also says that another key will be the offensive line play.

“The offensive line has to be so much better than they have been,” McElroy said. “Two weeks ago was terrible. I’m not going to put any silver lining on it. The offensive line has to play the best game of their life.”

Lastly, he also said that the Gamecocks will need at least one game-changing play from their special teams, whether that be a big return or a blocked kick.