Kickoff: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Vanderbilt -3.5, Total: N/A

The first full week of the college football season beings with two struggling SEC programs looking to reverse their fortunes with an opening night win.

2015 was an unmitigated disaster for South Carolina. After a 2-4 start, including bad losses to Kentucky and Missouri, Steve Spurrier resigned as head coach. The Gamecocks won in interim head coach Shawn Elliott’s first game, then finished the year with five straight losses, including an embarrassment against FCS The Citadel. The end result was SC’s first losing season since 2003. Gone are their best players on both sides of the ball: WR Pharoh Cooper to the NFL and LB Skai Moore to a neck injury. New head coach Will Muschamp is starting an uphill battle in rebuilding a depleted program. Vanderbilt’s offense never got going during last year’s 4-8 (2-6 in the SEC) season. They topped 20 points against only two FBS opponents, due in large part to an anemic passing attack. The Commodores defense was one of the SEC’s best units, led by returning All-SEC LB Zach Cunningham. Conference wins against Missouri and Kentucky, and competitive games at Ole Miss and Florida, were glimpses of Vandy at its best. The offense needs to find some playmakers if they have any chance of improving their record in 2016. South Carolina, 1.5-point favorites, beat Vanderbilt 19-10 last October for their only conference win, making it seven-straight seasons with a win over Vandy (SC is 3-4 ATS in those games).

South Carolina finished 110th in scoring (21.9 PPG) and 99th in yardage (362 YPG) last season. SC’s top three skill-position players – WR Pharoh Cooper, RB Brandon Wilds and TE Jerell Adams – are gone, taking over 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 15 TD of production with them. Explosive WR Deebo Samuel, limited to five games after a Week 1 hamstring injury last season, has the most play-making potential on the roster. RB David Williams is the only experienced back on the roster, but Muschamp has expressed frustration with his work ethic and will probably use a committee approach in the backfield. A starting QB has yet to be named, with incumbent Perry Orth (1,929 yards, 12 TD, 9 INT, 54.8% completion rate, 138 yards rushing, two rushing TD) looking to hold off dual-threat freshman Brandon McIlwain. Muschamp, a former defensive coordinator at Texas and Auburn, inherits a defense that ranked 71st in points allowed (27.5 PPG) and 95th in yardage (430 YPG) last season. The pass rush was almost non-existent in 2015, something Muschamp aims to fix with a potentially deep defensive line rotation. All-SEC LB and leading-tackling Skai Moore will miss the entire season after neck surgery, leaving LBs T.J. Holloman (2.5 TFL, 2 INT) and Bryson Allen-Williams (3.5 TFL) to pick up the slack. Junior Chris Lammons, limited by a knee injury last year, will anchor a rebuilding secondary and see time at both a CB and safety.

Vanderbilt’s offense ranked 124th in points (15.2 PPG) and 117th in yardage (327 YPG) last year, with a meager 3.8 yards per rush (110th in the nation) and 5.5 yards per pass attempt (120th). Junior RB Ralph Webb will be the first option on offense after tallying 1,340 yards from scrimmage and seven TD last year. Athletic QB Johnny McCray, coming off a six-TD, 12-INT season, transferred to FCS Mercer, leaving pro-style sophomore QB Kyle Shurmur (503 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT, 42.7% completion rate in five games) the favorite to start under center. Top receiver WR Trent Sherfield (51 receptions, 659 yards, 3 TD) is back, and the Commodores will get a boost from the return of WR C.J. Duncan (441 yards, 4 TD in 2014), who missed last season with a torn Achilles. The offensive line was depleted by injuries last year, gaining some valuable experience and establishing depth going forward, but two-year starter at LT Andrew Jelks will miss his second-straight season with a knee injury. Vandy’s D held opponents to 21.0 PPG (22nd in the nation) and 17.2 first downs per game (16th). Star LB Zach Cunningham returns after racking up 69 solo tackles, 16.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles despite starting the year as a backup. Oren Burks thrived in the “Star” position (a DB/LB hybrid role designed by head coach Derek Mason), leading the team in INT (3), while senior CB Torren McGaster, who posted 4.5 TFL and 13 pass breakups last season, leads a deep secondary. The Commodore defense needs another huge season if a bowl berth is going to be at all feasible.