Any chance that Ed Orgeron had to remain the coach of the LSU Tigers disappeared after the Bayou Bengals lost to Florida this weekend. The loss was LSU’s fourth on the season and despite the team looking better under Orgeron than it had previously, that likely means he is on his way out. It’s very possible that LSU’s game this week against the Texas A&M Aggies will be his last in Baton Rouge and his team wants to send him out with a win.
This matchup in Week 13 of the college football season will take place on Thursday, November 24, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kyle Field. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
LSU -5.5
Texas A&M +5.5
Odds Analysis
LSU is going to play just 11 games in the regular season having sacrificed a home game against South Alabama in order to reschedule its game with Florida. The Tigers have played just one of those games over the total and are 4-6 ATS.
The Aggies have seen a once promising season fall apart and have been awful against the spread. Texas A&M covered its first four games but has failed to cover seven in a row now and are in a full free-fall following the season-ending injury to Trevor Knight.
Player to Watch
The biggest barometer for this game will be how healthy Leonard Fournette is. Fournette is the best running back in college football when he’s 100 percent, but the problem is he hasn’t been fully healthy for most of the year. He has sat out of three games with an ankle injury that keeps bothering him and was shut down last week by Florida after bravely deciding to put on the pads.
When he is at his best, Fournette is a monster. His talents were on full display a month ago against Ole Miss when he returned after sitting out the previous three weeks. Fournette carried the ball just 16 times, but ran for 284 yards and three touchdowns in a rout of the Rebels. It was a dominating performance that highlighted just how good he can be.
Matchup to Watch
Few defensive lines are as good as the Aggies. Myles Garrett is an other-worldly talent and draws a constant double team, freeing up his teammates. When he doesn’t get double-teamed, like last week against UTSA, he is a one-man wrecking crew. Garrett came a half-sack away from breaking the Texas A&M record for sacks in a game with 4.5 sacks against the Roadrunners and showcased the skill that is going to make him a Top 5 draft pick in April.
Daeshon Hall may not have put up the stats that many were expecting this season, but he still is extremely talented and also had a solid game against UTSA. Hall isn’t big and bulky, but is very nimble and great at beating offensive tackles around the edge. This is his last chance to put solid film up for NFL scouts and he knows he needs to take advantage.
Free ATS Pick
LSU has won five straight against Texas A&M and has been the one team in the SEC West that the Aggies have failed to beat since joining the conference. Texas A&M has failed to crack 20 points in any game against LSU’s defense and with Jake Hubenak taking snaps, will be hard-pressed to do it this time as well.
The Aggies offense cracked 30 points four times with Knight under center but haven’t put more than 28 on the board since Hubenak became the starter at the beginning of the month. He now faces his toughest test yet and won’t be able to move the ball well on this defense. Look for LSU to send Orgeron out in style with a big road win.
College Football Odds: Tigers 24, Aggies 13
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