Wk 1 · 2026
Kent State Golden Flashes at South Carolina Gamecocks — Sat, Sep 5
Sat, Sep 5 ·
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
· SEC Network FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
12:45pET
SC -35.5 · total 53.5 DraftKings opened -36.5 · 1 toward KENT
Ratings differential SC by 35.6
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Kent State form
L 7-38at WMUL 10-13vs OHIOW 26-13vs BALLL 3-59at OSUW 36-15vs WOF
2026 season
South Carolina form
W 38-19at FLAL 34-35vs UKL 18-49at ALAL 34-41vs MSSTW 45-9vs TOW
2026 season
Kent State this season
Straight up2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)
South Carolina this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 0
These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, South Carolina leads 1–0 · South Carolina won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
57.0 points toward South Carolina
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-05 | Kent State 0 — 57 South Carolina | at SC | South Carolina |
Kent State leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Dru DeShields QB #12 | 70/120, 757 YDS, 3 TD, 5 INT |
| Da'Realyst Clark WR #8 | 1/1, 29 YDS | |
| Rushing | Dru DeShields QB #12 | 39 CAR, 183 YDS, 3 TD |
| Mason King RB #0 | 39 CAR, 166 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Brandon White RB #22 | 40 CAR, 126 YDS | |
| Receiving | Da'Realyst Clark WR #8 | 19 REC, 246 YDS, 1 TD |
| Wayne Harris WR #6 | 16 REC, 204 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Ardell Banks WR #1 | 7 REC, 167 YDS | |
| Terik Mulder TE #89 | 6 REC, 61 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Rocco Nicholl LB #4 | 24 |
| Joel Cordoba DB #2 | 24 | |
| A'tiq Muhammad DB #1 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Rocco Nicholl LB #4 | 3 |
| Jaihien Roy DL #33 | 2 | |
| Semaj Bridgeman LB #17 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Norey Johnson DB #18 | 1 |
| Rafael Terrero Jr. LB #20 | 1 | |
| Jaihien Roy DL #33 | 1 |
South Carolina leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | LaNorris Sellers QB #16 | 92/152, 1059 YDS, 8 TD, 4 INT |
| Cutter Woods QB #12 | 9/14, 92 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Matt Fuller RB #28 | 71 CAR, 433 YDS, 5 TD |
| LaNorris Sellers QB #16 | 53 CAR, 391 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jabree Coleman RB #21 | 20 CAR, 173 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Receiving | Mazeo Bennett Jr. WR #3 | 18 REC, 201 YDS, 1 TD |
| Nyck Harbor WR #8 | 13 REC, 195 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Donovan Murph WR #6 | 7 REC, 159 YDS, 2 TD | |
| DJ Black WR #83 | 8 REC, 156 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Justin Okoronkwo LB #17 | 38 |
| Fred Johnson LB #0 | 29 | |
| Peyton Williams DB #31 | 25 | |
| Sacks | Anthony Addison DE #40 | 3 |
| Tomiwa Durojaiye DL #13 | 2 | |
| Kelby Collins DL #97 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Peyton Williams DB #31 | 1 |
| Kosci Barnes DB #28 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.