LSU vs. Mississippi State Spread Pick
The LSU Tigers are coming off yet another impressive victory, this time knocking off Georgia. Will the Tigers thump another SEC foe on Saturday night in Baton Rouge when they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot
403 Mississippi State Bulldogs at 404 LSU Tigers
7:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 20, 2018
Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Tigers are 6.5-point favorites to beat the Bulldogs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 45.5 points. As of this writing, 64% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Tigers.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State senior QB Nick Fitzgerald rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 23-9 win over No. 8 Auburn. Fitzgerald also completed 9-of-17 for 69 passing yards with one interception, but that’s irrelevant since he nearly rushed for 200 yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns. The senior broke the SEC career record for most rushing yards by a quarterback that was formerly held by a guy named Tim Tebow. Fitzgerald (6’3/235) won’t ever be a consistent passer, but his rushing ability is an unique trait and it can be enough for Mississippi State to beat high quality teams like Auburn. The Bulldogs get another tough matchup after this week’s bye when they take on the LSU Tigers on October 20th.
LSU Tigers
LSU redshirt sophomore TE Thaddeus Moss (foot) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. “It’s something that he’s not completely healed. We want it to heal a lot faster, but it’s not healing the way we want it,” said LSU HC Ed Orgeron. Moss (6’3/240) has managed to practice at points throughout the early fall, but will end his season never having been healthy enough to appear in a game proper. A foot injury which has lingered since the summer is the culprit, here. The Tigers plan on exploring a potential medical hardship waiver now that Moss’ season has been cut short. Foster Moreau will continue to see the bulk of work at tight end through to the end of the season, though the depth behind him has thinned.
Betting Trends
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games versus the Tigers.
LSU
The Tigers are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 conference games and are 10-4 against the number in their last 14 games overall.
Prediction
LSU has already knocked off Miami, Auburn and Georgia this season. That’s three highly ranked opponents that the Tigers beat outright as underdogs. They rushed the field last week following their upset win over the Dawgs. Can this team get up again, this time as a favorite? I don’t doubt that LSU will be motivated but it’s difficult to maintain that emotional edge all season long. I see a natural letdown for LSU, but this natural letdown comes against an opponent in Miss State that could absolutely pull off an upset. The Bulldogs are a live dog here, with a stout defense and an inexperienced player under center in Fitzgerald.
College Football Prediction: Mississippi State Bulldogs +6.5