Lamar Jackson has officially been crowned the most dominant player in college football. He will need to play extremely well in order to lead the Louisville Cardinals to an upset win over the LSU Tigers at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
LSU has lost four times this season but never by more than 10 points and will aim to pick up a road win in this enticing showdown. The Tigers and Cardinals both had designs of making the College Football Playoff this season. It didn’t happen, but they will at least face off in a matchup of elite teams.
Watch this matchup live on Saturday, December 31, 2016, at 11 a.m. ET at Camping World Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
LSU -3.5
Louisville +3.5
Over/Under 60
Odds Analysis
LSU is a slight favorite and the betting public likes it to cover the spread, choosing the Tigers with more than 73 percent of the action. Louisville is a more popular pick on the moneyline at +140, while LSU is -160. The scoring total is deemed a little high as about 60 percent of the action has chosen the “under.”
LSU is 7-4 straight up and 5-6 against the spread. The Tigers are 5-5 against the spread as the favorite this season.
Louisville is 9-3 straight up and 6-6 against the spread. The Cardinals have only been the underdog in one game this season and covered that one.
Player to Watch
Lamar Jackson – The Heisman-winning-quarterback leads an offense that is averaging 663 yards a game, including 391 passing. Jackson is the leader on both facets of the offense, throwing for 3,390 passing yards and running for another 1,538 yards this season.
Jackson has scored 51 touchdowns and will be looking to tack on a few more in his last game of his college season and his first since winning the Heisman Trophy. He amassed 452 total yards in the loss to Kentucky on November 26th.
LSU is stingy defensively and this will be a huge test for Jackson. He has shown the ability to perform with both his arm and his legs against the best of defenses, and he is the biggest reason why Louisville has a chance at winning this game.
Key Stat
0-2. That’s Louisville’s record in the past two games. The Cardinals fell to unranked opponents Houston and Kentucky to fall to 9-3.
The 36-10 loss to Houston on November 17th spoiled Louisville’s playoff hopes and falling to Kentucky just added insult to injury. The team will be looking to shake off the recent losses in the Citrus Bowl.
Louisville’s motivation might be questioned after seemingly being on a path for the College Football Playoff. The team’s loss early on was to Clemson, and even with it the Cardinals seemed on their way to the national semifinals.
But Louisville fell apart at the end of the season and now it’s fair to wonder if the team can rebound.
Free ATS Pick
LSU may have lost two of its final four games, but they came to No. 1 Alabama and No. 23 Alabama by a combined 16 points. The Tigers should have star running back Leonard Fournette in this one as his ankle injury has healed enough. He will be a big key as Louisville could have a tough time slowing him down.
LSU may be a slight favorite based on Louisville’s poor finish, but this spread is too high. The Tigers may win by a field goal, which would still result in a cover for the Cardinals. Another good wager is Louisville on the moneyline as it has Jackson, who can lead the team to the upset win, which would pay off nicely for those backing the Cardinals.
College Football Odds: Louisville 24, LSU 21
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