After several years of mediocrity, the once proud Texas Longhorns are poised to make a return to prominence in the college football landscape. Their top-10 showdown with the LSU Tigers on Saturday, September 7, will go a long way toward validating their ascent. Both teams had little trouble in their opener with the Horns getting primed for their Louisiana swing by hammering Tech. They will face a much stiffer State while getting 5.5-points at offshore sportsbooks. The game will air live in primetime on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET from Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
LSU Tigers -5.5
Texas Longhorns +5.5
Over/Under 55
LSU at Texas Odds Analysis
Things went pretty much according to plan for both clubs on opening weekend with each cashing against the spread in lopsided victories. Now that they have the first body bag game out of the way it’s time to get to work. Both teams have CFP aspirations and the Tigers opened as a 4.5-point road favorite. With the Tigers getting plenty of sharp support, the line was wagered to LSU -5.5 and the action has leveled off. Offshore sportsbooks are expecting things to heat up closer to kickoff with two very public teams.
LSU Odds
The Tigers promised a more diverse offense this season and everything went smoothly in their opener. A new hurry-up spread scheme produced 42 first half points and nearly 500 yards of offense against overmatched Georgia Southern. The Tigers easily covered the 27-point spread and surpassed the closing total of 51 on their own in the 55-3 thrashing. Slapping double nickels on the Eagles is one thing, now we’ll see just how effective the new offense is in a hostile environment.
Texas Odds
For the first time in the Tom Herman era the Longhorns opened the season with a win. If they didn’t beat La. Tech at home Herman might not have had another chance to get that season opening W. All is well in Austin this week and there could be a huge party if the Horns can upset LSU. Texas was methodical in its pounding of the Bulldogs, building a 38-0 lead before calling off the dogs. The Horns were never threatened covering the 19-point line while cashing the over in their 45-14 takedown.
Key Stats
Like I said earlier, putting up 55 points and 472 total yards at home against Georgia Southern is one thing. Doing it on the road against a much tougher opponent is another. Still, the Tigers showed how effective the new look can be now that they have “come out of the stone age,” according to Joe Burrow.
And Burrow sure enjoyed running the spread attack last week. He tied a school record with five first half touchdown passes and finished the game 23 of 27 for 278 yards. He had more scoring tosses than incompletions, which is a pretty cool stat. This is an entirely new approach for LSU and Ed Orgeron is committed to making it work. “We’re going to run the spread offense. We’ve got athletes. That’s what we do,” he said after last week’s win.
There were some concerns about the Texas defense with eight new starters taking the field against La. Tech. Early returns were positive as the Horns pitched a shutout for three quarters before the Bulldogs made some strides in garbage time.
Last Meeting
Recent history is meaningless since the teams haven’t played since the 2002 season when Texas won the Cotton Bowl game. With the Horns having a resurgence under Herman this is arguably their biggest home game in a decade. I still don’t trust the Horns defense and LSU’s playmakers and spread formations will give the group trouble. And while the talk is of the Tigers offensive exploits, don’t forget they’re just as talented on defense. LSU held Georgia Southern to less than 100 total yards last week. They won’t do that on Saturday, but the point is the group is solid and will get after Sam Ehlinger.
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