"I really feel like South Carolina is a team that will be a little overrated this season." - Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook oddsmaker and book manager Ed Salmons
A college football specialist, Salmons is a Vegas veteran and fully admits that he purposely tried to make his odds on the Gamecocks attractive to bettors to draw action on Steve Spurrier's squad.
So far, his plan has worked.
South Carolina ranks among the top-15 teams in terms of number of bets placed on who will win the BCS National Championship. The Gamecocks are 50/1 to win it all at the SuperBook.
Bettors also pounced on South Carolina's season win total, with six max bets of $1,000 being placed on the Gamecocks to eclipse 8.5 wins this season, according to Salmons.
He isn't worried, though. He fully believes the Gamecocks will take a step back and points to the uncertainty of Marcus Lattimore's knee as one of the reasons.
"That's a two-year injury," Salmons said of Lattimore's torn ligament in his left knee, suffered in October.
Lattimore is practicing, but whether or not he'll be 100 percent by the Gamecocks' opening trip to Vanderbilt is up for debate. Even so, Lattimore remains among the top 10 Heisman Trophy favorites.
Meanwhile, Lattimore's knee also has played a role in the shrinking point spread in the Gamecocks' opener at hyped Vanderbilt.
South Carolina was as high as a 10.5-point favorite when the line first opened up at online sportsbooks in the spring. Now, with more Nevada shops posting college football numbers, the spread has settled at South Carolina -6.5.
Heading into his eighth season at South Carolina, Spurrier is 4-3 against the spread in season openers and 3-4 against the spread versus Vanderbilt. (more)
A college football specialist, Salmons is a Vegas veteran and fully admits that he purposely tried to make his odds on the Gamecocks attractive to bettors to draw action on Steve Spurrier's squad.
So far, his plan has worked.
South Carolina ranks among the top-15 teams in terms of number of bets placed on who will win the BCS National Championship. The Gamecocks are 50/1 to win it all at the SuperBook.
Bettors also pounced on South Carolina's season win total, with six max bets of $1,000 being placed on the Gamecocks to eclipse 8.5 wins this season, according to Salmons.
He isn't worried, though. He fully believes the Gamecocks will take a step back and points to the uncertainty of Marcus Lattimore's knee as one of the reasons.
"That's a two-year injury," Salmons said of Lattimore's torn ligament in his left knee, suffered in October.
Lattimore is practicing, but whether or not he'll be 100 percent by the Gamecocks' opening trip to Vanderbilt is up for debate. Even so, Lattimore remains among the top 10 Heisman Trophy favorites.
Meanwhile, Lattimore's knee also has played a role in the shrinking point spread in the Gamecocks' opener at hyped Vanderbilt.
South Carolina was as high as a 10.5-point favorite when the line first opened up at online sportsbooks in the spring. Now, with more Nevada shops posting college football numbers, the spread has settled at South Carolina -6.5.
Heading into his eighth season at South Carolina, Spurrier is 4-3 against the spread in season openers and 3-4 against the spread versus Vanderbilt. (more)