NCAA online betting fans will get a CBS SEC matchup of Tennessee at LSU for Saturday afternoon with a kickoff time of 3:35 PM Eastern. SBG opened with LSU as a 15.5 point favorite and with an over/under of 42.5.
Outmanned
Tennessee enters this matchup with a record of 2-2 straight up and 1-3 against the spread. Their two wins were against 1-AA Tennessee Martin and last week against Alabama Birmingham in which the Volunteers were stretched to overtime before escaping humiliation with a 32-29 win as 14 point home chalks.
Against top shelf and ranked BCS opposition it has been quite a different story for the Vols as they lost home games to Oregon (48-13) and Florida (31-17) while failing to get the money each time. Tennessee lacks the skill and depth to hang with the best in the nation.
Decimated Program
Tennessee is suffering from the end of the Phillip Fulmer regime and then last year’s one year run of Lane Kiffin as the program is decimated by a lack of consistent leadership, poor recruiting, and a tougher Southeastern Conference. New coach Derek Dooley inherited a mess and is going to need patience and time from fans in a league that are not known for those characteristics.
Winning Ugly
LSU has a college football betting record of 4-0 straight up and 2-2 against the spread. The Tigers have gotten by on the strength of their 9th ranked defense and phenomenal special teams lead by kicker Josh Jasper, who is a true Lou Groza Award contender with 9 field goals already. Head coach Les Miles has ran an ultra conservative offense and allowed Jasper and the defense to carry the team as quarterback Jordan Jefferson continues to struggle with a 54% completion rate, a weak 5.3 yards per attempt, and a 2/4 touchdown/interception ratio as the Tigers rank 116th in the nation for passing.
The Mad Hatter
Miles is known as the Mad Hatter for his gutsy gambles in 2007 when he led LSU to the BCS title. But he has been under intense fire and criticism since then and the offensive woes continue to plague the program. NCAA online betting handicappers still consider this an incomplete team that is dangerous to lay big numbers with due to the inept offense.