The 5th-ranked LSU Tigers are favored on all the best sportsbooks online against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday in a game that can be seen on ABC. This game is technically a neutral site game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay but there is little doubt the Badgers will get almost all of the crowd support. LSU is considered a national title contender as they have one of the top players in the country in running back Leonard Fournette while the Badgers are hoping to contend in the Big 10.
Week 1 College Football Odds
LSU Tigers -10, total 44.5
Running Backs Set to Star
The Tigers have Fournette while the Badgers have Corey Clement. The team that wins on Saturday will be the one that stops the opposing runner. Not many teams stopped Fournette last season but the Badgers were second in the country last year in total defense and first in fewest points allowed. The Tigers need quarterback Brandon Harris to take some of the pressure off of Fournette this season.
The Badgers should be far better running the ball this season with a healthy Clement but they have been hurt by an injury to center Dan Voltz. The Tigers were just 44th in points allowed last season but they were excellent against the run ranking 7th in the country.
New Wisconsin Starting Quarterback
Bart Houston will be trying to keep opposing defenses from stacking their lines against the run. Houston beat out redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook for the starting job. “I felt like Bart did everything that he needed to do and earned the right to get the start, and [I] was also energized by what Alex did,” head coach Paul Chryst said. “And loved the way that he grew in fall camp. Both need to continue to keep growing. Wanted to get it done as we begin our preparation for LSU and make sure that everyone knew where we were at with it internally, and I’m excited to go forward now.”
Houston did play last season and replaced an injured Joel Stave in a win against Illinois as he threw for 232 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “His job is to continue to improve and keep going,” Chryst said. “Obviously talked about some of the things that I thought he did well and also covered some areas where I think that he can improve and did the same thing with Alex and wanted to make sure Alex knew that I thought he grew a ton.”
Game Trends
The Tigers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on grass according to the top sportsbooks . The Badgers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games. The Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. the SEC. The Under is 4-1 in the Tigers last 5 games overall. The Under is 8-3 in the Badgers last 11 games overall.
College Football Picks
I will lay the points with LSU and also play the game under the total.
