Considering the season the LSU Tigers had behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, nobody is going to argue that they are the top-seed in their first College Football Playoff. The Oklahoma Sooners got a gift for their third straight and fourth overall playoff appearance when Utah was knocked off in the Pac-12 title game. OU was the No. 4 seed last year and lost to No. 1 Alabama. ESPN will televise the CFP semifinal from the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Saturday, December 28, at 4 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Current college football odds have LSU as the second-biggest favorite in a CFP semifinal at -13.5.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oklahoma Sooners +13.5
LSU Tigers -13.5
Over/Under 76
Oklahoma vs. LSU Odds Analysis
The opening line had No. 1 LSU as a 10-point favorite for this CFP semifinal and that was a gift according to the betting public which helped jack the line up to its current -13.5. That is the second-largest line in a CFP semifinal behind only last season’s matchup between Oklahoma and Alabama when the Sooners were 14.5-point dogs. OU covered but failed to advance to the national championship for a third time. With two of the top offenses in the country it’s no surprise to see the total surface at 77. A majority of early bettors bought the under, however, dropping the number a point to 76.
Oklahoma Odds
The Sooners rolled through their first seven games before being upset by Kansas State, 48-41, as a 23.5-point favorite. Their next three tilts were nail-biters beating Iowa State, Baylor and TCU by a combined eight points. OU was a double-digit favorite in all four and failed to cover. The Sooners righted the ship against Oklahoma State in the Bedlam rivalry, but again narrowly escaped disaster with a 30-23 overtime win over Baylor in the Big 12 Championship. Facing some huge lines, the Sooners were just 2-7 ATS in their last nine and ended the season 5-8 ATS.
Lincoln Riley has fielded one of the top offensive teams in the country during his tenure. So the Sooners made it a point to improve on the other side of the football and there were strides. They led the Big 12 giving up 330.6 yard per game, over 120 yards per game fewer than in 2018. The improved defense kept scores below the total in the last four and the under was 7-5-1 overall. Jaylen Hurts gives OU an experience edge having three CFP appearances with Alabama. But will that be enough?
LSU Odds
Not winning a national championship would be a failure for LSU after the brilliant season they’ve had. They ran the table beating five top-10 teams along the way while boasting the top total offense in the country and the third-highest scoring unit. The Tigers won their games by an average margin of 26.6 points with just two having a single digit margin. LSU scored a season-low in its 23-20 win over Auburn and toppled Alabama 48-41 on the road. The Tigers finished strong beating Texas AM and Georgia in the SEC Championship by a combined score of 87-17.
Nine times during the season the Tigers played against a spread of at least 14 points and they went 5-4 ATS in those games. Most of the damage on offense came from the arm of Burrow, who completed nearly 78 percent of his passes for 4,715 yards and 48 touchdowns with just six interceptions. The Sooners improved defensively, but LSU easily handled some good groups during the season, scoring at least 40 points 10 times and reaching 50 points six times.
Key Stats
There were quality candidates for the Heisman but it was Burrow who stood out among the crowd, easily outdistancing Hurts, Justin Fields and Chase Young. Burrow was one of two players to throw for more than 4,000 yards and he topped the FBS with 48 touchdowns and a 77.9 completion percentage. It helps to have some deft pass-catchers and the Tigers have an abundance of them. Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson each had more than 1,200 receiving yards and combined for 161 receptions and 32 scoring grabs. Unlike national passing leader Washington State, the Tigers had more balance in their lineup, which makes their accomplishment that much more amazing. Oklahoma allows fewer than 200 passing yards per game and without a pair of starters the group will be tested covering the spread on the college football betting line. End Ronnie Perkins (suspension) and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (injury) are out.
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