No. 6 South Carolina (4-0, 2-0 SEC) at Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC)

Kickoff: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Spread: South Carolina by 21

Watchability: Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw will set the SEC record for consecutive completions if he completes his first five passes Saturday. Shaw hit his last 20 throws in the win over Missouri, leaving him four shy of Tee Martin’s 1998 record. East Carolina’s Dominique Davis set the Division I record of 36 over two games last year.

Shining stars: South Carolina: Marcus Lattimore. Playing without a knee brace for the first time this season, Lattimore ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns and caught a career-high seven passes for 60 yards in the win over Missouri. Lattimore is approaching his pre-injury form, which will make the Gamecocks more formidable down the stretch. Kentucky: Maxwell Smith. The sophomore threw for 966 yards and eight TDs in three games but missed last week’s shutout loss in Gainesville with a bruised joint in his throwing shoulder. He’ll be evaluated Wednesday and Thursday. If Smith can’t play, freshman Jalen Whitlow could start.

Who could steal the show: South Carolina: Ace Sanders. In addition to catching two TD passes this year , the 5-8, 175-pound junior is a dangerous punt returner. He had a 49-yard punt return in the win over Missouri to set up the first score of the game, and finished with six returns for 106 yards. Kentucky: Alvin “Bud” Dupree. The sophomore linebacker has made at least one big play in eight straight games. Against Florida, Dupree had eight tackles including a sack. He leads the Wildcats with five tackles for loss.

You going? Ranking the road trip: Don’t expect much of an atmosphere at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky fans already are thinking about basketball season.

Magic number for South Carolina: 9. A Gamecocks win would give them a nine-game win streak dating to last season. That would tie for the longest streak in school history. South Carolina started the 1984 season 9-0.

Magic number for Kentucky: 1. That’s how many times the Wildcats have beaten a Steve Spurrier-coached team. The 31-28 win came in the Gamecocks’ last visit to Lexington, 2010.

The game comes down to: If Smith doesn’t play, the Wildcats have no chance. If he does, Kentucky could keep it interesting for a while. South Carolina will struggle only if it is caught looking ahead to the Oct. 6 showdown with No. 5 Georgia.

Eye on College Football's take: The good news for the Wildcats: Smith is expected to play. And after Morgan Newton set the art of quarterbacking back a half-century or so against Florida last Saturday, it's arguable that's very good news. The bad news: Smith got the call against the Gamecocks last year, too, and that game turned into a 54-3 bloodbath that was, somehow, not even as close as that score suggests. But hey, more good news: Smith has shown dramatic improvement this season when healthy enough to play (even if that hasn't always translated into points, or wins), and he and the Wildcats might be catching the Gamecocks at the right time and place. Connor Shaw hasn't been nearly as good on the road as at home since taking over as the starter in mid-2011 (those details are here), and with the potential East division decider coming up next week vs. Georgia, the Gamecocks probably won't be too focused on the task at hand. None of this means the Wildcats actually have a prayer of winning this game -- as long as Carolina doesn't miss the team bus, they'll be fine on that count -- but they could at least be more competitive if Smith continues building on his positive start to the season. -- Jerry Hinnen

Prediction: South Carolina 38, Kentucky 17

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Daniel Lewis and Larry Hartstein, follow @CBSSportsSEC.