North Carolina State was virtually pecked to death (34-0) in last years opener versus the Gamecocks,down in Columbia, SC, leaving a bad feeling thats festered in Wolfpack bellies for an entire year. College football picks experts and Wolfpack fans have had today's date (Sept. 3) circled knowing that this is more than just a game. It's redemption - not only for North Carolina State but for the ACC, a league that really took it on the chin from the SEC on the field and in the media. The SEC is perceived in college football picks as a superior league and the only way to remove that is on the football field.

South Carolina has won its past nine openers, including last year’s 34-0 victory against the Wolfpack. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier is 18-1 in season-opening games as a college coach, with the lone loss coming against the Gamecocks in 1989 during his final season at Duke. The Gamecocks’ defense has come strong in four openers under Spurrier, posting two shutouts and allowing just more than a touchdown a game.

One big positive happened for the Wolfpack last year and that was the emergence of quarterback Russell Wilson who improved throughout the 2008 campaign. North Carolina State became a totally different team than the one the Gamecocks shutout at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Starting at quarterback for the Gamecocks is sophomore Stephen Garcia who was 1-2 as a starter last year, throwing six touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

"I just want our players to know this is a very good team that we're playing," said  Spurrier, starting his fifth season at South Carolina. "Sometimes people have a tendency to go by the score of last year's game, when really you can't. NC State became a much better team as the season progressed and they were much stronger at the end of the season. That's something most teams hope to do. Hopefully, we'll become a much stronger team at the end of the year."

College Football Picks: The Wolfpack have a chip on their shoulder for this game. The Wolfpack look like a good pick for this game, especially with the Gamecocks coming in with some defensive issues.