LSU vs. Auburn Total Prediction
One of the more intriguing college football matchups this Saturday will pit SEC rivals LSU and Auburn against each other at 3:30 p.m. ET. Will this battle of Tigers fall under the betting total when it’s all said and done?
Game Snapshot
153 LSU Tigers vs. 154 Auburn Tigers
3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Alabama
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Tigers are 9.5-point favorites to beat the Tigers. The total, meanwhile, sits at 44.5 points. As of this writing, 67% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Tigers.
LSU Tigers
LSU redshirt junior QB Joe Burrow completed 10-of-20 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in a 31-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday. Burrow struggled to connect on passes in the win over Miami in their opener. Things didn’t really change against Southeastern Louisiana, which is a concern. He didn’t turn the ball over, but his accuracy on throws to all parts of the field has been below-average. He’s going to have to be considerably better against Auburn next Saturday if LSU is going to beat the Tigers.
Auburn Tigers
Auburn HC Gus Malzahn said junior WR Eli Stove (knee) is expected to play more this week against LSU than he did a week ago. Like Will Hastings, Stove (6’0/175) is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in the spring. Stove had 580 yards from scrimmage as a sophomore and will be a valued offensive contributor once he’s all the way back. Until then, baby steps.
Betting Trends
LSU
The under is 6-1 in the Tigers’ last seven road games and 5-2 in their last seven games overall.
Auburn
The under is 5-1 in the Tigers’ last six games overall and 5-1 in their last six home games.
Prediction
While LSU was in a letdown spot last week, it was still surprising to see the Tigers generate fewer first downs (18-15) and only 81 more total yards than Southeastern Louisiana in a 31-0 victory. Seven of those 31 points also came on a Hail Mary right at the end of the second quarter and the Lions also held the ball longer. I’m expecting LSU to struggle against Auburn’s defense, but to play well defensively itself. The under is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams in Auburn.
College Football Prediction: LSU/Auburn under 44.5