Louisiana State is the biggest climber in the rankings so far this season, with a pair of Top 20 victories already. The Tigers now look to move to 2-0 in SEC play when they meet Ole Miss for the 107th time Saturday night down at Death Valley. Can LSU cover a spread of nearly two touchdowns? Or can the Rebels keep this one close?
College Football Betting Odds
Week 5 college football odds opened LSU at -13.5 for this game, with an over/under of 58. The early betting action then dropped that spread down to -12.
Rebs-Tigers Match-Up
No team in college football has moved up more in the national rankings so far than LSU. The Tigers began this season on the edge of the Top 25 but now sit at No. 5, following their 4-0 start. LSU opened with a 33-17 win over Miami, and two weeks ago opened SEC play by upsetting Auburn on the road 22-21. Last week the Tigers stepped back out of conference and beat Louisiana Tech 38-21, although they couldn’t quite cover as 19-point favorites.
LSU scored the first 24 points last week, then allowed the Bulldogs to pull within 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers then closed things out with the final two touchdowns of the game.
On the night LSU actually got out-gained by Louisiana Tech 417-409. But about three-quarters of the yardage, the Tigers defense allowed came after they were up 24-0. LSU also out-rushed the Bulldogs 218-87.
Two weeks ago LSU outplayed Auburn and won that game on a field goal at the buzzer. And the Tigers led the Hurricanes at one point in that season opener 33-3, before giving up a couple meaningless scores to create a slightly misleading final tally. So that’s two wins/covers against current Top 20 teams already this season for LSU.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, is 3-1 on the season after bouncing back from that disaster against Alabama to beat Kent State last week 38-17. Actually, the Rebs only led that game 21-17 late in the third quarter, then scored the final 17 points. But they couldn’t cover as four-touchdown favorites.
On the day Ole Miss out-gained Kent State 651-390, as the Rebs produced 209 yards on the ground and 442 through the air.
Ole Miss opened this season with a 47-27 victory over a Texas Tech team that just upset Oklahoma State last week 41-17. But the Rebs got a serious dose of reality two weeks ago when the Crimson Tide crushed them 62-7.
The Rivalry/Recent History
LSU is 12-4 SU over the last 16 meetings in this series, 6-2 over the previous eight and 2-0 the last two, including a 40-24 decision in Oxford last year, covering as a six-point favorite. Two years ago the Tigers beat the Rebs 38-21, covering the -8 spread.
Also, last year’s game played over a total of 59 when Ole Miss scored a meaningless touchdown with just under two minutes to go.
Totals Report
LSU’s win over Miami just sneaked over a total of 47, while its victory over Auburn played under a total of 45.
Mississippi’s win over Texas Tech played over a total of 71 while its loss to Alabama just stayed under that same total.
Get more details: Ole Miss at LSU NCAAF Match-Up
