Newberry projected to edge Anderson SC by 5 in South Atlantic game

Versus projects a tight finish here, Newberry 26, Anderson SC 21, with the home team given a 61 percent win probability against a 39 percent chance for the Trojans. That five point margin makes this one of the closer calls on the South Atlantic Conference slate, and the game counts in the conference standings for both sides.

Newberry comes in at 8-2 and graded A- overall, 29th in Division II, while Anderson SC sits at 5-5 and 72nd with a B- grade. The Wolves carry an edge on both lines of scrimmage by grade, a B- offense and a B+ defense, but their strength of schedule rank of 109 is notably softer than Anderson SC's 71. A shared result against Virginia-Wise this season hints at that gap: Anderson SC won by 18 while Newberry lost by 10.

Newberry has been efficient in close games, going 3-1 in one-score contests, and is unbeaten on the road at 5-0, though neither of those marks applies directly to hosting here. Anderson SC arrives having climbed as high as 27th in Division II this season, its best Versus placement on record, and enters with a B defense that ranks 54th. The projection suggests Newberry's power rating edge is enough to hold, but not by much.