The LSU Tigers are ready to get back to football. The team’s showdown with Florida last week was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew, and the next one on the schedule isn’t nearly as hyped. The Tigers should be able to take care of business as big favorites when the face off against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Week 7.
The non-conference matchup is a breather from a tough schedule for LSU. The Tigers’ only question will be if they can cover a large spread.
This matchup in Week 7 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, October 15, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Tiger Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Southern Miss +26
LSU -26
Over/Under 56.5
Odds Analysis
The Tigers are taking the majority of the betting action despite the big spread. More than 76 percent of the money is on LSU to cover.
The scoring total is expected to be surpassed as nearly all of the early action is choosing the “over.”
Injury Report
The most important player to watch health-wise is LSU star running back Leonard Fournette. He has been dealing with an ankle injury which has kept him out of a pair of games. Fournette may not have been able to play last week against Florida so the team may have caught a break in that game getting moved back.
Fournette has been deemed questionable for this contest. The Tigers would probably like to have him for this one, but may decide to take it slow since it is almost certainly a victory whether he plays or not.
Fournette was one of the Heisman Trophy front-runners heading into the season but has not lived up to that so far. He has carried the ball 67 times for 386 yards and two touchdowns on the season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Matchup to Watch
Southern Miss passing game against the LSU defense -- The Eagles have some solid numbers offensively. They are averaging 40.2 points per game with a passing game that throws for 318.7 yards per game and a rushing attack that adds 212.7 yards per game on the ground.
Southern Miss would love to keep that going, but a matchup against the LSU defense is much tougher than its conference foes. The Tigers are giving up only 14.8 points per game and haven’t given up more than 20 points to anyone this season.
Southern Mississippi will likely need to throw the ball effectively to stay in the game for a while. Quarterback Nick Mullens has completed 123-of-210 passes for 1,874 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It will be hard for the Golden Eagles to win the game in the trenches so a lot will be played on Mullens’ shoulders.
Free ATS Pick
LSU has not lived up to expectations this season with a 3-2 record which resulted in the dismissal of coach Les Miles after a .500 start. The Tigers did better two weeks ago with an easy win over Missouri.
A tough stretch is upcoming with four of five games against ranked teams, including No. 1 Alabama, so LSU needs to head into it feeling good. The Tigers should have no trouble winning this game, but there are a few reasons why they won’t cover the spread.
Fournette isn’t at 100 percent, so even if he does play it seems like he won’t be counted on to carry the ball 20-to-25 times. The hard schedule in the next few weeks will cause the team to look ahead. And while the defense is very good, the quarterback situation is not very impressive for LSU.
Southern Miss has a pretty good team for a small school, and should do enough to cover this spread. That’s all you can ask for when going against one of the best programs in the country.
College Football Odds: LSU 38, Tennessee 14
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